Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety11#822/924
Economy24#701/925
Housing34#615/925
Health16#774/925
Healthcare81#179/923
Environment21#721/917
Education51#453/925
Infrastructure40#553/925
Community47#488/925
Leisure & amenities25#695/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Flint, MI metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
91/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.9%
86/100Michigan 6.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Voter turnout · high72.5%
84/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low25.5%
84/100Michigan 28.4%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Access to exercise opportunities · high85.5%
82/100Michigan 85.7%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high0.9%
81/100Michigan 0.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high6.4%
4/100Michigan 5.2%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Homicide rate · high12.0 /100k
5/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high574 /100k
7/100Michigan 416 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Frequent mental distress · high20.7%
8/100Michigan 20.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high3,942 /100k
10/100Michigan 3,367 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Depression · high28.3%
11/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child care cost burdenImproving
56.0% (2020 & 2021) → 29.5% (2023 & 2024)
−26 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.2% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
49.7 /100k (2021) → 28.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−43%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
77.7% (2010 & 2021) → 85.5% (2022 & 2024)
+7.8 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
47.0% (2019) → 40.0% (2023)
−7 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Traffic deathsWorsening
10.6 /100k (2015-2019) → 13.9 /100k (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Flint, MI metro area improved on 17 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 5 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved17

Unemployment−5 points11.4% → 6.4%
Broadband+12 points77.2% → 89.6%
Poverty−2.5 points18.9% → 16.4%
Gyms+26%0.6 /10k → 0.7 /10k
Child poverty−5.4 points28.0% → 22.6%

Declined5

Grocery stores−17%1.6 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Traffic deaths+31%10.6 /100k → 13.9 /100k
Price / income+0.6×2.3× → 2.9×
Transit use−0.5 points1.4% → 0.9%
Pharmacies−13%1.9 /10k → 1.6 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Flint, MI metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.8 /10k2020	2.9 /10k2025	+4.7%	Little change	39%
Average commute time	26.2 min2015-2019	26.9 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	40%
Average weekly wage	$9642020	$1,1092025	+15%	Improved	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	33%
Broadband subscriptions	77.2%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	28.0%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Improved	80%
Distance to an airport	58 mi2020	58 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	43.9 /100k2020	28.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−36%	Improved	65%
Effective property tax rate	1.55%2015-2019	1.25%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	89%
Firearm deaths	24.4 /100k2020	20.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	78%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	13%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	77%
High school diploma or higher	90.6%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	30%
Homicide rate	18.2 /100k2020	12.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−34%	Improved	61%
Income adjusted for local prices	$45,2092019	$57,6072024	+27%	Improved	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4632015-2019	0.4602020-2024	−0.003	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$48,5882015-2019	$62,2812020-2024	+28%	Improved	55%
New business applications	11.9 /1k2020	13.9 /1k2025	+17%	Improved	14%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	36%
Poverty rate	18.9%2015-2019	16.4%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Improved	81%
Property crime rate	1,577 /100k2020	1,252 /100k2025	−21%	Improved	24%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	+1.1%	Little change	71%
Public transit commuters	1.4%2015-2019	0.9%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Declined	34%
Rent as share of income	30.9%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent-burdened households	51.5%2015-2019	52.6%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Restaurants and bars	6.9 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	+5.5%	Improved	68%
Suicide rate	16.0 /100k2020	15.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.7%	Little change	69%
Traffic deaths	10.6 /100k2015-2019	13.9 /100k2020-2024	+31%	Declined	17%
Unemployment rate	11.4%2020	6.4%2025	−5 points	Improved	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.6%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	63%
Violent crime rate	623 /100k2020	574 /100k2025	−7.9%	Improved	38%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Flint, MI metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Flint, MI metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Flint, MI metro area itself moved −0.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

403,305 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

167,334 households (±940)

Flint, MI metro area
United States share

Under $25k18%30,309
$25k–50k22%37,445
$50k–75k18%30,567

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

167,334 households (±940)

Flint, MI metro area
United States share

Own71%118,363
Rent29%48,971

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

171,153 workers (±2,184)

Flint, MI metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%134,312
Carpool9.1%15,518
Public transit0.9%1,605

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Flint, MI employ 37,840 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 7 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Flint, MI by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators6,260 jobs	6,260	—US $44,650	—	5.13×
Fast Food and Counter Workers4,800 jobs	4,800	$28,330US $31,200

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Flint, MI has 7,733 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248), with 121,033 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,797. The Census Bureau also counts 31,433 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,733; 31,433 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248
Paid employees: 121,033
Average annual pay: $50,797; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Flint, MI by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	961	23.9	1.15×About typical	10,523	$62,980	1,878
Restaurants and other eating places	608	15.1	0.82×About typical	13,111	$19,217	170
Specialty trade contractors	389	9.7	0.63×Fewer than typical	4,629	$78,623	2,095
Offices of physicians	387	9.6	1.49×More than typical	3,452	$97,067	231
Limited-service restaurants	322	8	1.00×About typical	7,177	$16,883	75
Lessors of real estate	272	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	1,469	$44,490	2,492
Religious organizations	239	6	1.07×About typical	1,448	$23,296	—
Full-service restaurants	225	5.6	0.73×Fewer than typical	5,231	$22,310	52
Automotive repair and maintenance	222	5.5	1.10×About typical	2,359	$36,198	422
Services to buildings and dwellings	221	5.5	0.82×About typical	1,962	$36,351	2,483
Offices of other health practitioners	201	5	0.82×About typical	1,494	$40,850	622
Construction of buildings	189	4.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,179	$61,969	1,215

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 401,351 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $17.7M on contracts performed in Flint, MI metro area: $44.12 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.7M; +4.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $44.12; US $1,994
Sole-source: 3.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$10.7M60%
Department of Veterans Affairs$3.4M19%
Public Buildings Service$2.1M12%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.5M8.4%
Environmental Protection Agency$126.7K0.7%
Federal Aviation Administration$92.3K0.5%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$90.8K0.5%
Department of the Army$71.4K0.4%

Top recipients

SERRATO CORPORATION$10.7M60%
ELECTRA-MED CORPORATION$2.3M13%
LANG CONSTRUCTORS INC$1.7M9.7%
VETS ACCESS LLC$1M5.7%
MICHIGAN CHURCH SUPPLY CO INC$482.4K2.7%

Spending by fiscal year

44.3MFY2017
22.2MFY2018
22.7MFY2019
18.4MFY2020
21.5MFY2021
18.1MFY2022
20.7MFY2023
24.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Technical and trade schools · 6115$10.7M60%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$2M11%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$1.6M9.0%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$909.1K5.1%
Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4234$805.5K4.6%
Cut and sew apparel manufacturing · 3152$480.1K

Largest awards

FLINT GENESEE JOB CORPS CENTER WITH OA/CTS$64.3M
SERRATO CORPORATION· Genesee County, MI· Education & social services· May 15, 2020 – Jun 24, 2026· 1605JW20C0003
FLINT GENESEE JOB CORPS CENTER WITH OA/CTS$7.1M
SERRATO CORPORATION· Genesee County, MI· Education & social services· May 29, 2026 – Aug 21, 2026· 1605JE26F00001
FLINT FACADE REPAIR PROJECT IN FLINT, MICHIGAN IN THE AMOUNT OF $908,141.20.$1.7M
LANG CONSTRUCTORS INC· Genesee County, MI· Construction & real property· Jan 28, 2026 – Sep 28, 2026· 47PE5426F0057
FURNISH AND INSTALL NEW BASEMENT AIR HANDLING UNIT (AHU) AND PERFORM HAZARDOUS MATERIAL ABATEMENT SERVICES - BASEMENT AHU REPLACEMENT - FLINT FEDERAL BUILDING - FLINT, MICHIGAN

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.8B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Flint, MI metro area: $6,936 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.8B; −6.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,936; US $12,955
Loan face value: $139.4M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.7B61%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$298.2M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$198.7M7.1%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$185.7M6.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$125.9M4.5%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$38.5M1.4%
93.600 · Head Start$31.2M1.1%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$24.7M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF$38.4M1.4%
LANSING, MI
CHARLES STEWART MOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE$17.7M0.6%
FLINT, MI
GENESEE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT$17.2M0.6%
FLINT, MI
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$16M0.6%
FLINT, MI
MERIT NETWORK INC

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$2.3B83%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$213.5M7.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$52.3M1.9%
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education$40.2M1.4%
Federal Highway Administration$38.4M

Assistance by fiscal year

2.6BFY2021
2.4BFY2022
2.6BFY2023
2.7BFY2024
3BFY2025
2.8BFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Flint, MI

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Genesee CountyCentral county30401,093

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

FlintPrincipal city80,175

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Michigan

Areas based in Michigan, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M22420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved17

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Flint, MI metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Flint, MI

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Michigan

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved17

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type