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Michigan · GEOID 26147

St. Clair County

2024 ACS 5-year estimates · population 160,221 · 72,799 housing units

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Median household income
$71,270
State $74,099
Median home value
$224,600
State $237,564
Median gross rent
$1,029
State $1,136
Homeownership rate
80.8%
State 73.2%
Renter cost-burden rate
55.2%
≥30% of income
Owner cost-burden rate
19.5%
≥30% of income
Homeowner vacancy
0.5%
Of owner-occupied + for-sale units
Rental vacancy
3.5%
Of renter-occupied + for-rent units
Overall vacancy
6.8%
All housing units
Price-to-income ratio
3.15
Affordable: 2.0–3.0

Section 1

Community Profile

Population, demographics, household composition, and income.

Community Data Summary

St. Clair CountyMichigan
Population 160,221 10,077,761
Population density (per sq. mi.) 222.07 —
Median household income $71,270 $74,099
HUD Area Median Income (4-person, 100%) $104,800 —
Households 67,816 —
Average household size 2.34 people —
Owner-occupied 80.8% 73.2%
Renter-occupied 19.2% 26.8%
Race 91.2% White · 2.2% Black 0.0% White · 0.0% Black
Source: ACS 5-year 2024 (Tables DP05, S1101, DP04, S1901) and Census Gazetteer (land area); HUD FY2026 Income Limits.

Racial composition

St. Clair County compared with Michigan.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP05.

Educational attainment (population 25+)

20.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher (state: 32.4%).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1501.

Median Household Income by Tenure

Owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied household income, county and state.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25119.

Median Household Income by Age of Householder

Median household income by age group of householder.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B19049.

Median Household Income by Number of Earners

Median household income for families with each earner count.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903.

Household Size

Distribution of households by number of people.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2501.

Income by Number of Earners

Earners Share Median income Attainable monthly housing cost Attainable home
0 earners 19.8% $56,364 $1,409 $178,786
1 earner 30.5% $66,014 $1,650 $214,707
2 earners 36.5% $109,522 $2,738 $376,659
3+ earners 13.2% $150,632 $3,766 $529,684
Attainable monthly housing cost = 30% of gross income ÷ 12. Attainable home price assumes 30% housing budget, 30-yr mortgage at 7%, 5% down.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903; affordability formula derived.

Households

67,816

Average size: 2.34 people

Households with children

16,090

23.7% of households

Per-capita income

$38,214

Poverty rate: 10.9%

Section 2

Residential Market Analysis

Housing stock characteristics — tenure, type, age, size, vacancy, rents.

Tenure

80.8% owner-occupied vs. state average 73.2%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Structure type

Single-family share 81.7% · Missing middle (2–19 units) 8.6%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25024.

Housing stock by decade

56.7% built before 1980 · Median structure age 1,975.00 yrs.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2504.

Housing size mismatch

Compares the share of housing units by bedroom count against the share of households by size — a common diagnostic of housing supply/demand alignment.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Tables B25041 (bedrooms) and S2501 (household size).

Home value distribution

Owner-occupied homes by value bracket. Median: $224,600.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Monthly Housing Costs

Distribution of monthly housing costs across all occupied units.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25104.

Number of Bedrooms

Housing units by number of bedrooms.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25041.

Median rent by bedroom

Overall median gross rent: $1,029.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25031.

Renters by age

Number of renter householders by age bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Owners by age

Number of owner householders by age bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Vacancy composition

All 4,983 vacant units split into Census's seven categories. Frictional vacancy (units actively on the market) reflects healthy churn. Structural vacancy (seasonal, migrant, other) sits outside the market for year-round residents — high values change how the headline vacancy rate should be read.

Vacant units by type

For sale 5.9% · For rent 9.6% · Seasonal 51.9% · Other 26.2%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Frictional vs structural

21.6% of vacancy is frictional (for sale + for rent + rented/sold not yet occupied); 78.4% is structural (seasonal + migrant + other).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Seasonal / recreational share of all housing

3.5%

2,584 units of 72,799 total

Housing units held for seasonal or recreational use.

"Other vacant" share of all housing

1.8%

1,304 units of 72,799 total

Census "Other vacant" — units off the market for reasons other than seasonal, migrant, sale, or rental.

Section 3

Workforce Housing Needs Assessment

Affordability, cost burden, and the housing options for households in the workforce income range.

Workforce range — ACS median household income

80% MHI$57,016
100% MHI$71,270
120% MHI$85,524

County-wide median from ACS 5-year estimates. A household at 100% MHI in St. Clair County should be able to afford a home up to roughly — (30% housing budget, default mortgage terms).

Workforce range — HUD Area Median Income

1-person2-person4-person
80% AMI $58,700 $67,100 $83,850
100% AMI $73,360 $83,840 $104,800
120% AMI $88,050 $100,600 $125,750

HUD FMR Area: Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI HUD Metro FMR Area. 80% AMI uses HUD's published Section 8 Low Income Limits; 100% is HUD MFI; 120% is the standard workforce convention.

Affordability calculator

Follows the standard 30%-of-gross-income affordability rule.

Affordable monthly—
Affordable home price—

Renter cost burden

55.2% of renter households spend ≥30% of income on rent (25.3% spend ≥50%).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25070.

Owner cost burden by income

19.5% of homeowners spend ≥30% of income on housing. Bars show counts of cost-burdened owners by income bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25106.

Household income — owners vs renters

Distribution of household income for owner-occupied (navy) and renter-occupied (gold) households.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25118.

Section 4

Industry & Workforce Wages

Employment, average wages, and the housing each industry's typical earner can afford in St. Clair County.

Covered employment
38,909
Across 17 sectors
Establishments
2,956
QCEW 2024
Avg annual pay (workforce)
$52,490
Employment-weighted across sectors

Top 10 sectors by employment

Annual average employment by NAICS 2-digit sector. Counties with fewer than five covered establishments in a sector may show suppressed totals.
Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024.

Attainable housing by industry

Industry Employment Avg annual wage Affordable home price vs. median value Affordable monthly rent
NAICS 62 Health care and social assistance NAICS 62 7,082 $53,338 $167,523 −$57,077 $1,333
NAICS 31-33 Manufacturing NAICS 31-33 6,768 $65,113 $211,353 −$13,247 $1,628
NAICS 44-45 Retail trade NAICS 44-45 5,342 $40,630 $120,219 −$104,381 $1,016
NAICS 72 Accommodation and food services NAICS 72 5,028 $19,463 $41,428 −$183,172 $487
NAICS 61 Educational services NAICS 61 3,053 $54,258 $170,947 −$53,653 $1,356
NAICS 92 Public administration NAICS 92 2,874 $67,489 $220,197 −$4,403 $1,687
NAICS 23 Construction NAICS 23 2,641 $76,649 $254,294 +$29,694 $1,916
NAICS 54 Professional, scientific, and technical services NAICS 54 1,487 $68,112 $222,516 −$2,084 $1,703
NAICS 48-49 Transportation and warehousing NAICS 48-49 1,319 $64,184 $207,895 −$16,705 $1,605
NAICS 81 Other services (except public administration) NAICS 81 1,301 $38,237 $111,312 −$113,288 $956
NAICS 52 Finance and insurance NAICS 52 861 $80,200 $267,512 +$42,912 $2,005
NAICS 71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation NAICS 71 487 $24,387 $59,757 −$164,843 $610
NAICS 53 Real estate and rental and leasing NAICS 53 290 $44,993 $136,460 −$88,140 $1,125
NAICS 51 Information NAICS 51 194 $46,639 $142,587 −$82,013 $1,166
NAICS 11 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting NAICS 11 85 $46,583 $142,378 −$82,222 $1,165
NAICS 99 Unclassified NAICS 99 67 $29,850 $80,092 −$144,508 $746
NAICS 21 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction NAICS 21 30 $76,022 $251,960 +$27,360 $1,901
Affordable home price assumes the industry's average earner uses 30% of gross income for housing, with a 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr taxes & insurance, and 0.5% PMI. Adjust the Section 3 calculator for other terms. Affordable rent is 30% of monthly gross pay.
Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024; ACS 5-year 2024 (median home value).

Section 5

Wages by Occupation

Selected essential-worker occupations for the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county — jobs, the 10-year change, wages, and the housing each typical earner can afford. Both jobs counts and wages are reported at the MSA / nonmetropolitan-area level (BLS does not publish OEWS at the county level), so every county inside the same area shows the same numbers. For county-accurate employment totals, see Section 4 above.

Occupational wages and affordable housing

Occupation 2025
jobs		 2015–2025
change		 %
change		 Hourly
wage		 Annual
wage		 Affordable
home price		 Affordable
monthly rent
Fast Food and Counter Workers SOC 35-3023 · prior-year code differs 42,430 (10,780) (20%) $14.84 $30,860 $83,852 $772
Cashiers SOC 41-2011 37,910 — — $15.41 $32,050 $88,281 $801
Childcare Workers SOC 39-9011 5,810 — — $16.27 $33,840 $94,944 $846
Janitors and Cleaners SOC 37-2011 26,810 (140) (1%) $18.16 $37,780 $109,610 $945
Retail Salespersons SOC 41-2031 48,610 — — $18.77 $39,030 $114,263 $976
Home Health and Personal Care Aides SOC 31-1131 · prior-year code differs 17,300 (18,400) (52%) $20.18 $41,980 $125,244 $1,050
Tellers SOC 43-3071 5,130 (710) (12%) $21.06 $43,810 $132,056 $1,095
Waiters and Waitresses SOC 35-3031 29,210 (7,310) (20%) $21.67 $45,080 $136,784 $1,127
Office Clerks, General SOC 43-9061 34,570 (14,710) (30%) $22.60 $47,000 $143,930 $1,175
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General SOC 49-9071 16,190 (840) (5%) $24.92 $51,830 $161,909 $1,296
Construction Laborers SOC 47-2061 11,610 2,340 25% $26.91 $55,960 $177,283 $1,399
Paramedics SOC 29-2043 · prior-year code differs 890 (1,510) (63%) $27.44 $57,080 $181,452 $1,427
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers SOC 53-3032 25,780 5,460 27% $27.92 $58,070 $185,137 $1,452
Firefighters SOC 33-2011 3,520 1,120 47% $29.78 $61,940 $199,542 $1,549
Carpenters SOC 47-2031 7,610 880 13% $32.10 $66,770 $217,521 $1,669
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education SOC 25-2021 18,390 2,760 18% — $72,730 $239,706 $1,818
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers SOC 33-3051 7,860 90 1% $35.61 $74,070 $244,694 $1,852
Electricians SOC 47-2111 11,210 2,110 23% $38.10 $79,240 $263,939 $1,981
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters SOC 47-2152 5,520 1,020 23% $39.28 $81,710 $273,133 $2,043
Registered Nurses SOC 29-1141 44,310 5,180 13% $45.90 $95,460 $324,315 $2,387
Affordable home price uses the same Section 3 formula (30% housing budget, 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr T&I, 0.5% PMI). Affordable rent is 30% of monthly wages. Negative job-change values are shown in red parentheses. A "prior-year code differs" note flags occupations whose SOC code changed between the two vintages (2010 SOC → 2018 SOC) — the change estimate is best-effort.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (10-year change vs. May 2015). Jobs counts and wages reflect the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county, not the county alone — OEWS is not published at the county level.
Methodology & sources

All figures derive from the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. State and national comparisons are population-weighted aggregates of county-level estimates (an approximation; ACS publishes its own state and national medians which can differ slightly).

The affordability calculator uses a 30% housing-budget rule with a 30-year mortgage. Defaults are 7% interest, 5% down, $2,500/year taxes and insurance, and 0.5% PMI — adjustable above.

Variables: 26147 · pulled from Full Housing Data Table.xlsx.