Real estate · County · Michigan
Real estate businesses in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,028 of 2,229 scored counties
#21 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 72
- 4 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −24.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $584M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $12,949 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 187
- 87% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.0
- 58% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Bay County
The site report maps the real estate businesses 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 Bay County. 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 rent and homeowner costs in Bay County comes to about $584M a year: $12,949 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 87% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
There are 72 real estate businesses on map listings in Bay County as of September 2026. 4 of them (6%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That is 16.0 per 10,000 households, 58% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in Bay County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors, down 24.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,050 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 267 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Bay County declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Bay County is 51 (upper middle), #1,028 of 2,229 scored counties and #21 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.0 | 31.2 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 187 | 104 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 2,050 | 728 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −24.1% | +11.2% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $12,949 | $13,996 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 22−24.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 74
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 267Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 724 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Bay County, 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Bay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barry County, MI | 68 | 32 | 13.1 | 249 | +2.2% | #270 of 2,229 |
| 2Arenac County, MI | 65 | 5 | 7.6 | 379 | +0.5% | #362 of 2,229 |
| 3Alcona County, MI | 65 | 6 | 11.3 | 254 | +3.7% | #370 of 2,229 |
| 4Montcalm County, MI | 64 | 35 | 14.3 | 210 | +4.1% | #411 of 2,229 |
| 5Newaygo County, MI | 63 | 25 | 12.7 | 236 | +3.1% | #443 of 2,229 |
| 6Tuscola County, MI | 58 | 27 | 12.6 | 235 | −1.2% | #649 of 2,229 |
| 7Presque Isle County, MI | 57 | 10 | 15.0 | 195 | +1.0% | #712 of 2,229 |
| 8Ionia County, MI | 57 | 38 | 16.3 | 192 | −0.5% | #714 of 2,229 |
| 9Osceola County, MI | 57 | 16 | 17.1 | 171 | +2.7% | #720 of 2,229 |
| 10Allegan County, MI | 57 | 92 | 20.2 | 165 | +2.1% | #726 of 2,229 |
| 21Bay County, MI | 51 | 72 | 16.0 | 187 | −1.6% | #1,028 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Bay County
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
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Bay County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 72 real estate businesses in Bay County. 4 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, down 24.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 267 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $584M a year, or $12,949 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 72 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 87% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Bay County has 16.0 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 58% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 187, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Bay County would have about 135, against 72 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,050 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count fell 24.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. 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. Bay County scores 51 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #1,028 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay County. It maps the real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay County?
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 Bay County. 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.