Village · Michigan
Custer, Michigan
Custer, village, in Mason County, Michigan. Custer had 300 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.7% from the Bureau's April 2020 estimates base of 302; the 2020 Census counted 272 on the place as it was defined then and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 275 (±70). GEOID 2619420.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
300
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 272 · ACS 2020-2024: 275 ±70
Median household income
$63,125
±$27,495 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875
Median home value
$131,300
±$31,581 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600
Median gross rent
$769
±$157 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129
Where is Custer and what county is it in?
Custer is a village in Mason County, Michigan. It covers 1.1 square miles of land, 255 residents per square mile in 2020.
Custer is in the Ludington, MI micropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Custer lies entirely within Custer Township (Mason County), a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Custer, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 300 people lived in Custer on July 1, 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, while Michigan grew 0.5%. The Census Bureau's yearly estimates start from its own April 2020 base for Custer, 302, which differs from the 2020 Census count of 272: the estimates follow the place as the estimates program defines it today (its present boundaries, and for a consolidated city-county the area the program assigns it), so the change since 2020 is measured from that base. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 275 (±70).
| Measure | Custer | Mason County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 275 ±70 | 29,207 | no clear change |
| Households | 101 ±25 | 12,801 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.42 ±0.42 | 2.25 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 120 ±29 | 17,596 | no clear change |
Custer's population since 2000
From 318 in 2000 to 300 in 2025: down 5.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Custer as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Custer?
The median resident of Custer is 38.9 years old; 26.2% are under 18 and 28.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 95.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 2.5%.
| Measure | Custer | Mason County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.9 ±16.0 | 47.3 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 26.2% ±7.4 pts | 19.6% | – |
| 65 years and over | 28.0% ±9.2 pts | 26.3% | – |
| Male | 45.5% ±8.2 pts | 50.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.1% ±1.9 pts | 4.9% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 95.3% ±4.0 pts | 89.4% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 1.1% ±3.6 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±10.3 pts | 0.5% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±10.3 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±10.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 2.5% ±2.8 pts | 3.7% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±10.3 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.7% ±1.5 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 2.2% ±3.2 pts | 3.3% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 11.8% ±9.7 pts | 8.2% | – |
| With a disability | 21.7% ±8.1 pts | 17.0% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 4.1% ±3.3 pts | 5.2% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 91.1% ±5.3 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 12.8% ±7.7 pts | 26.6% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.2% ±2.1 pts | 10.3% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 83.8% ±10.6 pts | 87.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 4.8% ±4.9 pts | 1.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Custer earn?
Half of Custer's 101 households earn less than $63,125 a year (±$27,495), against $64,748 in Mason County and $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $54,151 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Custer | Mason County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,125 ±$27,495 | $64,748 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $68,789 ±$11,947 | $85,702 | – |
| Per capita income | $27,039 ±$6,153 | $37,554 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 13.1% ±7.2 pts | 14.1% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 13.9% ±12.2 pts | 24.4% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 19.8% ±14.0 pts | 12.9% | – |
| Households with a computer | 86.1% ±8.0 pts | 94.5% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 81.2% ±8.9 pts | 86.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Custer?
Owners occupy 85.1% of Custer's occupied homes and renters 14.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $131,300 by its owner (±$31,581). The median renter pays $769 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Custer | Mason County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $131,300 ±$31,581 | $219,600 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $769 ±$157 | $896 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 20.0% ±27.7 pts | 37.3% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $990 ±$247 | $1,380 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 85.1% ±9.3 pts | 78.3% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 14.9% ±9.3 pts | 21.7% | – |
| Housing units | 120 ±29 | 17,596 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±28.7 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±71.2 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 83.3% ±10.5 pts | 75.3% | – |
| Mobile homes | 5.8% ±6.7 pts | 10.4% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±21.9 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 1.7% ±2.7 pts | 6.7% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 31.7% ±12.6 pts | 19.5% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 5.9% ±5.5 pts | 6.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Custer work and get to work?
76.7% of Custer's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 18.5 minutes.
| Measure | Custer | Mason County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 50.5% ±10.6 pts | 54.5% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 1.9% ±2.9 pts | 4.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 76.7% ±8.8 pts | 72.6% | – |
| Carpooled | 14.6% ±9.2 pts | 11.4% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±24.9 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Walked | 1.9% ±3.1 pts | 3.0% | – |
| Worked from home | 5.8% ±6.8 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 18.5 min ±2.5 | 19.5 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Custer?
No census tract lies mostly in Custer; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9506Mason County | 5,408 | $61,182 |
| Tract 9507Mason County | 3,003 | $62,246 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Custer) · Census block assignment files
How does Custer compare with other places in Michigan?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Custer is the 15,158th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 491st-most populous of 533 in Michigan.
Custer is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 491st | 533 |
Custer's figures with every place in Michigan (CSV)
Every place in Michigan, sortable · Compare Custer with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Custer?
26 of the 57 figures for Custer on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Custer are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Custer.