Health care · Small-town market · Michigan
Medical and dental practices in the Alpena, MI area
The medical and dental practices in the Alpena, MI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #394 of 538 scored small-town markets
#16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 117
- 13 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- −14.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $15.8M
- On medical and dental services · $1,216 a household
- Spending per listing
- $135K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.9
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,853
- −0.1% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Alpena area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Alpena area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Household spending on medical and dental services in the Alpena area comes to about $15.8M a year: $1,216 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 117 medical and dental practices, that is $135K per practice, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
The Alpena area has 117 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 89.9, 6% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in the Alpena area classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, down 14.6% from 2019. That is one for every 372 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $300K has gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Alpena area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Alpena area declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For medical and dental practices, the Alpena area has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #394 of 538 scored small-town markets and #16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Alpena area compares
The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Alpena area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.9 | 80.4 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $135K | $176K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 372 | 285 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.6% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,216 | $1,412 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $53,950 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35−14.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 229
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11713 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $300K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Alpena area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Alpena area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,853−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 13,019
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,418
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,363
- Daytime population
- 29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Alpena area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Alpena area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Alpena area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 85 | 223 | 49.0 | $298K | +2.1% | #12 of 538 |
| 2Houghton, MI | 72 | 83 | 53.8 | $242K | +1.8% | #72 of 538 |
| 3Hillsdale, MI | 70 | 93 | 52.1 | $250K | 0.0% | #86 of 538 |
| 4Cadillac, MI | 70 | 113 | 57.6 | $222K | +2.0% | #89 of 538 |
| 5Coldwater, MI | 67 | 96 | 56.8 | $225K | +2.5% | #114 of 538 |
| 6Sturgis, MI | 66 | 130 | 55.0 | $235K | +0.1% | #125 of 538 |
| 7Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 62 | 78 | 55.4 | $225K | −1.9% | #147 of 538 |
| 8Owosso, MI | 60 | 153 | 54.4 | $242K | −0.4% | #167 of 538 |
| 9Big Rapids, MI | 60 | 118 | 70.6 | $177K | +4.7% | #175 of 538 |
| 10Marquette, MI | 56 | 194 | 68.7 | $189K | +2.3% | #215 of 538 |
| 16Alpena, MI | 37 | 117 | 89.9 | $135K | −0.1% | #394 of 538 |
Other business types in the Alpena area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics37
- Dentists and orthodontists30
- Primary care and pediatrics
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors54
- Physical therapy47
- Optometrists and eye care33
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Alpena, MI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 117 medical and dental practices in the Alpena area. 13 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, down 14.6% from 2019. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Alpena, MI area spend on medical and dental services?
About $15.8M a year, or $1,216 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 117 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $135K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,019 households in the Alpena area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Alpena, MI area compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
The Alpena area has 89.9 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $135K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Alpena area would have about 104, against 117 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 372 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Alpena, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Alpena area at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in the Alpena area is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Alpena area scores 37 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #394 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Alpena area. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in the Alpena area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Alpena area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Alpena area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.