Arenac County, MI (Michigan) has about 15,077 residents. Workers there whose highest education is a bachelor's degree earn a median of $52,353 a year, about 45% more than workers with a high school diploma ($36,084) (Census Bureau, 2020-2024, everyone 25 and over with earnings). Median rent is $761 a month and the median home is worth $150,600. This page gathers public data about the county's pay, housing, jobs and health-care access. Counties are listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank places.

Pay by education level

High school diploma$36,084
Some college or associate's degree$41,491
Bachelor's degree$52,353
All workers 25 and over$41,256

Bachelor's premium

+45%

Bachelor's pay over high school pay

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher

16%

Ages 25 and over

Median household income

$58,811

Census ACS 2020-2024

Urban-rural classification

Code 8 of 9

Nonmetro - Urban population of fewer than 5,000, adjacent to a metro area (USDA ERS, 2023)

Income per person

$51,950

BEA, 2024; includes all income, children and retirees

Housing and cost

Median rent

$761/mo

Gross rent, ACS 2020-2024

Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms

$933/mo

HUD, fiscal year 2025

Median home value

$150,600

Owner-occupied homes

Home price change, 2020 to 2025

+72.2%

FHFA House Price Index; +15.0% from 2024 to 2025; +128.1% from 2015 to 2025

Rent as a share of bachelor's pay

17%

A year of median rent over median bachelor's earnings

Renters paying 30%+ of income

42%

Renter households

Jobs and work

Unemployment rate, all workers

6.9%

BLS, 2024 annual average

Jobs located here, 2025

3,940

Average pay per job $48,672 a year at 362 employers; -3.4% from 2024 (BLS; jobs located in this area, wherever workers live)

Gross domestic product, 2024

$603 million

Real growth +0.9% from 2023 (BEA, current dollars)

Moved in from another state or abroad, bachelor's or higher

2.0%

Of adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher, the share who lived in another state or abroad a year earlier (±1.1); 0.8% (±0.4) among adults without one; ACS 2020-2024

Private-sector jobs per 100 residents

24

Jobs located in the county (Census CBP 2023)

Average pay per private-sector job

$46,786

Census CBP 2023

Commutes of 45 minutes or more

21%

Share of workers

Poverty rate by education, adults 25 and over

EducationThis countyUnited States
Less than high school19.1% (±4.3)24.2%
High school graduate12.3% (±2.3)14.4%
Some college or associate's degree10.3% (±1.8)9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher4.3% (±1.7)4.5%

Share of people with income below the federal poverty level, by the highest education they have completed (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B17003; margins of error at the 90% level in parentheses). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.

What residents with a bachelor’s degree studied

Field of first majorThis countyUnited States
Science and engineering27.4%36.1%
Science and engineering related fields8.5%10.0%
Business21.1%20.1%
Education25.5%10.9%
Arts, humanities and other17.5%23.0%

Share of adults 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree, by the field of their first major (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table C15010; the Census Bureau’s own groups, listed in a fixed order, not ranked; margins of error at most 4.4 points). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.

The largest private-sector industries by jobs are manufacturing (26%), hotels and restaurants (19%), health care and social assistance (18%) (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; employment in cells Census withholds is not shown).

Pay by industry, 2025

Private-sector jobs and average annual pay by industry, listed alphabetically (MajorPays does not rank industries or places). All industries together, including government: 3,940 jobs, average pay $48,672 a year. A row is missing when the Bureau of Labor Statistics withholds it to protect privacy or when there are fewer than 10 jobs.

IndustryJobsAverage annual pay
Construction116$49,040
Finance and insurance45$56,406
Manufacturing769$58,435
Other services (except public administration)79$25,031
Retail trade651$34,221
Transportation and warehousing119$77,515

People and access

Poverty rate

15.0%

All ages, Census SAIPE 2023 (model-based estimate)

Child poverty rate

22.8%

Under 18, Census SAIPE 2023

Median age

50.2

Years

Households with broadband

87%

Any broadband subscription

People without health insurance

6.0%

All ages, ACS 2020-2024

Homeownership rate

86%

Occupied homes that are owner-occupied

Adults 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher

15.4%

±3.4; U.S. 39.6%; ACS 2020-2024

People ages 18 to 24

6.3%

956 people in July 2025, +1.0% since July 2020 (Census population estimates)

Workers who work from home

8.1%

Workers 16 and over

Veterans among adults

8.3%

Civilian adults 18 and over

Health care access

HRSA's shortage score runs from 0 to 25 (26 for dental); higher means a bigger shortage of providers in a designated area. Highest score in this county: primary care 17, dental 15, mental health 8. Designations can cover part of a county and change over time (Health Resources and Services Administration).

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Sources: pay by education level, household income, rent, home value, rent burden, commute times, median age, broadband, health insurance, home ownership, college enrollment, working from home and veterans from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (Tables B20004, B15003, B19013, B25064, B25077, B25070, B08303, B01002, B28002, B27010, B25003, B14001, B08301, B21001 and B23006; earnings are published medians for everyone 25 and over with earnings, so they include part-time workers and run lower than full-time figures; median earnings, income, rent and home values are shown only when their margin of error is at most 20%; shares such as rent burden, commutes and broadband are shown only when their margin of error is at most 7 percentage points, and median age only when its margin is at most 20%; rent as a share of bachelor's pay is MajorPays' calculation). Unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2024 annual averages; unemployment by education level (ACS Table B23006) is shown only when its margin of error is at most 2.5 percentage points, so small areas often show none. Jobs per 100 residents, average pay per job and largest industries: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (private-sector, non-farm employers; Census adds noise to protect businesses; jobs are counted where they are located). Income per person: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2023 (model-based estimates with margins of error). Fair market rent: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, fiscal year 2025 (HUD's estimate of gross rent for standard units, generally at the 40th percentile and at the 50th in some areas, set for housing-market areas; it is a program standard, not an average market rent). Pay by industry: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance, including government where stated; average annual pay is total wages divided by average jobs, includes bonuses, and is pay per job, not per person; self-employed people are not counted). Home price change: U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual House Price Index for counties (all-transactions index, not seasonally adjusted; it measures how prices of repeat-sale and refinanced single-family homes changed, not the price level; changes are not adjusted for inflation; less reliable for counties with few sales). Recent movers by education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B07009 (adults 25 and over who lived in a different state or abroad one year earlier; shown only when the margin of error is at most 8 points). Poverty by education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B17003 (shown only when each margin of error is at most 8 points). Field of bachelor's degree: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table C15010 (shown only when each margin of error is at most 5 points). Jobs located here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the county; average pay is total wages divided by jobs and includes bonuses and high earners, so it is not a median or what a graduate earns; figures are revised). Gross domestic product: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, GDP by county, 2024 (current dollars and real growth; revised; areas BEA combines are left out). Residents enrolled in college: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B14001 (people living in the area who are enrolled in college or graduate school, at any school; shown only when the margin of error is at most a quarter of the estimate). Adults 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B15001 (shown only when the margin of error is at most 6 points). People ages 18 to 24: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age, vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2020; estimates are revised, and changes can swing widely in college towns). Urban-rural classification: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (1 = most urban, 9 = most rural; a classification of the county, not a measure of quality). Shortage-area scores: U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Professional Shortage Areas (designated area-based designations; designations can cover part of a county). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; none of these agencies has approved or endorsed this presentation. Figures describe a county as a whole, not any person in it. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.