Groundwork

Real estate · County · Michigan

Real estate businesses in Otsego County, MI

The real estate businesses in Otsego County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,633 of 2,229 scored counties
#49 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
37
3 chain locations (8%)
Official establishments
13
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$152.1M
On rent and homeowner costs · $13,546 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
95
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
32.9
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,080
+3.8% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Otsego 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 Otsego County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 37 real estate businesses in Otsego County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 8%, against 6% across the U.S. That is 32.9 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

At $13,546 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Otsego County spend about $152.1M a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 5% below 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.

Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Otsego County in 2023. That is one for every 864 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 117 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Otsego County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Otsego County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #1,633 of 2,229 scored counties and #49 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.

How Otsego 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.

Real estate in Otsego County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureOtsego CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households32.931.238.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)95104100
Households per official establishment864728414
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+11.2%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.8%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$13,546$13,996$16,661
Median household income$68,183$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4047

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
17 → 13
Employees, 2023
18
Annual payroll, 2023
$949K
One-person businesses, 2023
117Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
373 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
35The 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,080+3.8% since 2020
Households
11,231
Median age
44.9
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
515 sq. mi.
People per square mile
50
Median household income
$68,183+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,599
Median home value
$219,700
Jobs located here
8,813
Daytime population
24,512Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Otsego 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 Otsego County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Real estate across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Otsego County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Barry County, MI683213.1249+2.2%#270 of 2,229
2Arenac County, MI6557.6379+0.5%#362 of 2,229
3Alcona County, MI65611.3254+3.7%#370 of 2,229
4Montcalm County, MI643514.3210+4.1%#411 of 2,229
5Newaygo County, MI632512.7236+3.1%#443 of 2,229
6Tuscola County, MI582712.6235−1.2%#649 of 2,229
7Presque Isle County, MI571015.0195+1.0%#712 of 2,229
8Ionia County, MI573816.3192−0.5%#714 of 2,229
9Osceola County, MI571617.1171+2.7%#720 of 2,229
10Allegan County, MI579220.2165+2.1%#726 of 2,229
49Otsego County, MI403732.995+3.8%#1,633 of 2,229

Other business types in Otsego County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Otsego County, MI?

Otsego County has 37 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Official counts also show 117 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Otsego County, MI spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $152.1M a year, or $13,546 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 37 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 5% below 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. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,231 households in Otsego County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Otsego County, MI compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Otsego County has 32.9 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 95, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Otsego County would have about 35, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 864 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S.

How fast is Otsego County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Otsego County at 26,080 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,231 households. The median household income in Otsego County is $68,183 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.5% 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. 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. Otsego County scores 40 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,633 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Otsego 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 Otsego County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Otsego 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 Otsego 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.