Bay County GIS Maps
Bay County, Michigan, has 103,856 residents and covers 442.2 square miles. The population declined 3.6% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for Bay County is 26017.
Bay City is the county's largest population center. Bay County also includes 10 zip codes, 7 public school districts and 34 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Bay County Trends
- Population
- 103,856▾
- Median Home Value
- $135,100▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 15,511▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Bay County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Bay County Population
Bay County had 103,856 residents in 2020. That was 3.6% lower than in 2010. Bay County had 6,301 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 235 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Bay City, Bay City and Essexville.
Population Trend in Bay County MI
Bay County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Bay County Zip Codes
Bay County has 10 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Bay City (48706), Bay City (48708) and Essexville (48732). Bay City is the largest zip by population, with about 39,381 residents or 38% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 74% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Bay County MI
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48706 | Bay City | 39,381 | ▾ -3% |
| 48708 | Bay City | 25,860 | ▾ -5.1% |
| 48732 | Essexville | 11,177 | ▾ -2.7% |
| 48650 | Pinconning | 6,807 | ▾ -6.1% |
| 48611 | Auburn | 6,482 | ▾ -1.1% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Bay County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Bay County Demographics
Bay County has a median age of 43.8, which makes the county a little older than Michigan overall. About 19.8% of residents are under 18, while 21.3% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 29.9% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 21.4% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 31.8%. The county is mostly White by population, though Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents are also part of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Bay County MI
Median Age
43.8
Under 18
19.8%
Age 65+
21.3%
Bachelor's+
21.4%
Bay County School Districts
Bay County is served by 7 public school districts with 15,511 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Bay City, Bangor Township Schools and Freeland Community. Those three districts account for about 69% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, but it is slightly lower than it was in 2017.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Bay County MI
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City School District | 6,030 | 38.9% | ▾ -2.4% |
| Bangor Township Schools | 2,691 | 17.3% | ▾ -1.2% |
| Freeland Community School District | 1,947 | 12.6% | ▾ -1.1% |
| Essexville-Hampton Public Schools | 1,523 | 9.8% | ▴ 1.4% |
| Standish-Sterling Community School District | 1,482 | 9.6% | — 0% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Bay County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Bay County Housing & Real Estate
Bay County has a median home value of $135,100 and a median gross rent of $809. About 76% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Michigan median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $209,900 and homes spent about 57 days on the market.
Bay County Housing Mix
Bay County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Bay County Housing Trends
Bay County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Bay County, MI
Bay County has 3,906 business listings across 635 categories. The largest categories in Bay County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (103, 2.6%), Auto Repair (70, 1.8%), and Beauty Salons (61, 1.6%). The full Bay County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Bay County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Bay County, MI
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 103 | 2.6% |
| Auto Repair | 70 | 1.8% |
| Beauty Salons | 61 | 1.6% |
| Gas Stations | 61 | 1.6% |
| Insurance Agencies | 47 | 1.2% |
| Banks & Credit Unions | 47 | 1.2% |
| Parks & Recreation | 47 | 1.2% |
| Contractors | 46 | 1.2% |
| Medical Offices | 46 | 1.2% |
| Hair Salons | 44 | 1.1% |
Bay County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Riversbend Rehabilitation Center | Abuse And Addiction Treatment | Bangor Twp |
| Huntington Place Apartments | Accommodation | Essexville |
| Bellon Co Accountants | Accountant | Bay City |
| Michigan Sugar Trails | Active Life | Bay City |
| Mid Michigan Wellness Center | Acupuncture | Bay City |
| Builders License Training Institute | Adult Education | Bay City |
| Advanced Tex Screen Printing | Advertising Agency | Bay City |
| Meadow Ridge Supply | Agricultural Service | Bay City |
| Rooted by Keits | Agriculture | Essexville |
| James Clements Airport | Airport | Bay City |
| Download Bay County business listings | ||
Bay County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Bay County Basemaps
Bay County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Bay County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Bay County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Bay County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.