How America Moves

Genesee County, MI

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
90
10% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$172,900
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+46.3%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$936
national $1,348
Homeownership
71%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$60,673
national $78,538
Median age
40.6 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Flint, MI.

The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. The median home is valued at $172,900 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 46% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $936 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $60,673. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Genesee County, MI saw a net gain of 14 tax-filing households and a net gain of 263 individuals. Against a population of about 401,522, that is a net inflow of about 0.7 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $20.8M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 1,536 households, came from Oakland County; the largest outflow, about 1,344 households, went to Oakland County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 890 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$20.8M
nominal dollars
Net households
+14
tax returns
Net people
+263
exemptions

+0.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 401,522)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$431.1M
Moved out$451.9M
Net -$20.8M (nominal)
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Genesee County within Michigan

Genesee County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Michigan counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Oakland County, MI1,536$101.7M
  2. 2Livingston County, MI553$35.8M
  3. 3Lapeer County, MI493$23M
  4. 4Saginaw County, MI414$17.5M
  5. 5Wayne County, MI375$17.9M
  6. 6Macomb County, MI349$23.2M
  7. 7Shiawassee County, MI330$14M
  8. 8Tuscola County, MI180$8.3M
  9. 9Ingham County, MI176$7.6M
  10. 10Kent County, MI117$5.4M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Oakland County, MI1,344$80M
  2. 2Lapeer County, MI422$24.1M
  3. 3Livingston County, MI419$29.7M
  4. 4Saginaw County, MI405$18.5M
  5. 5Wayne County, MI345$15.6M
  6. 6Shiawassee County, MI328$16M
  7. 7Macomb County, MI250$12.7M
  8. 8Tuscola County, MI217$9.2M
  9. 9Ingham County, MI209$8.6M
  10. 10Kent County, MI158$8.1M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Oakland County, MI1,5361,344+192+$21.7M
Livingston County, MI553419+134+$6.1M
Lapeer County, MI493422+71-$1.1M
Saginaw County, MI414405+9-$1M
Wayne County, MI375345+30+$2.3M
Shiawassee County, MI330328+2-$1.9M
Macomb County, MI349250+99+$10.5M
Tuscola County, MI180217-37-$864K
Ingham County, MI176209-33-$1M
Kent County, MI117158-41-$2.7M
Washtenaw County, MI113154-41-$1.3M
Bay County, MI9784+13+$1.1M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$697.4M (-14,811 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$82.9M-2,968
2013-$67.3M-2,157
2014-$89.3M-3,265
2015-$42.7M-1,075
2016-$56.3M-1,226
2017-$78.2M-1,753
2018-$27.5M-64
2019-$37.2M-185
2020-$61.8M-925
2021-$55M-566
2022-$78.2M-890
2023-$20.8M+263
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 263 more people moved into Genesee County, MI than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $20.8M in income (nominal) — in a county of 401,351 people.

Population
401,351
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+0.7
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +7 people.
Net income per resident
−$52
nominal dollars
-$20.8M total across 401,351 residents.

The rate lets you compare Genesee County, MI with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+4,124
Deaths
-5,208
Net domestic migration
-103
Net international migration
+685
Total change
-601

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Genesee County, MI run about 10% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $111 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$52,844
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
25% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.9
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 10.1% lower than average
What that income buys
$58,795
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
16% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Flint, MI metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents65.0
Goods94.1
Utilities96.4
Other services97.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Genesee County, MI

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
40.6
years
Median household income
$60,673
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
23% below the U.S. median
College degree
23%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
15.9%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
27 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
88%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 71%Hispanic 4%Black 19%Asian 1%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$172,900
owner-occupied homes
43% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$936
gross rent per month
31% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
71%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+5.7%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+46%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
380new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 62%Multifamily 38%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
186,851
177,729 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
5.6%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.6 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Genesee County, MI has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
2024114,670105,3033,295D +4.2223,268
2020119,39098,7143,256D +9.3221,360
2016102,75184,1759,370D +9.5196,296
2012128,97871,8082,147D +28.2202,933
2008143,92772,4513,518D +32.5219,896
2004128,33483,8701,571D +20.8213,775
2000119,83366,6414,391D +27.9190,865

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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