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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-GAYLORD-MI · Gaylord, MI 4,307 pop · income 12th pct · 6 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Gaylord
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Gaylord on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Whiteriver · lowest
38,205
Whiteriver · lowest
38,205 median HH income
19.1% of the leader · rank #1
Shiloh · near
44,043
Shiloh · near
44,043 median HH income
22.0% of the leader · rank #2
Hundred · near
44,046
Hundred · near
44,046 median HH income
22.0% of the leader · rank #3
Escalante · near
44,048
Escalante · near
44,048 median HH income
22.0% of the leader · rank #4
Gaylord · this city
44,052
Gaylord · this city
44,052 median HH income
22.0% of the leader · rank #5
Teec Nos Pos · near
44,063
Teec Nos Pos · near
44,063 median HH income
22.0% of the leader · rank #6
Bloomfield Hi… · highest
200,318
Bloomfield Hi… · highest
200,318 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Gaylord on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 4,307.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Gaylord - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Gaylord lands in the 12th percentile for household income and the 8th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
12th
percentile, household income
34th
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
8th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Gaylord, MI
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 4,307 residents in Gaylord, a small town within Michigan. The typical household in Gaylord brings in $44,052 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 1.8%. Typical homes in Gaylord are valued around $170,300, and the median resident age is 38.0 years. 20.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 60.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Gaylord's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 3884.6 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Gaylord's yearly average temperature at 43.0°F with 37.2 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in Michigan run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Michigan at 96.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,113 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $238 across Michigan, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 49.6 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Gaylord's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to reported crime to comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to within-city variation to population change to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Gaylord, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Gaylord?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Gaylord?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3884.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 70% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Which cities make useful reference points for Gaylord?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Middleville (4,327 residents, $71,417 income); Caro (4,284 residents, $41,940 income); Sparta (4,260 residents, $55,474 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Staunton, IL (4,307 residents); Crandall, TX (4,307 residents); Whiteriver, AZ (4,308 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Gaylord?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 43.0°F, with 37.2 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Michigan is 49.6 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
49.6
Annual precipitation
37.2 in
Mean temperature
43.0°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Gaylord?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 66.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
66.4%
Work from home
13.8%
Public transit
2.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 2,008 workers age 16+.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +150 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.5% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
4,294
2025 estimate
4,444
Period change
+3.5%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 20.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
1.8%
Bachelor's degree+
20.8%
Matched public schools
5
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
D
City profile score · Gaylord, MI
41/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate A
1.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living C
96.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
20.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
500 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$44,052
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Gaylord profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 87/100 (A) · 1.8%
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 37/100 (F) · 20.8%
Violent crime: 16/100 (F) · 500 /100k
Household income: 12/100 (F) · $44,052
Where Gaylord sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Gaylord's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Gaylord highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Gaylord, MI (this city): home $170,300, crime 3,885/100k
Crandall, TX : home $272,900, crime 4,096/100k
Caro, MI : home $102,200, crime 2,280/100k
Sparta, MI : home $190,100, crime 958/100k
Buchanan, MI : home $138,400, crime 1,901/100k
Bloomfield Hills, MI : home $942,900, crime 712/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Gaylord compare to other US cities?
Where Gaylord sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income12% higher than other cities
Home value34% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
Safety8% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Michigan, Gaylord ranks #238 of 254 Michigan cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Gaylord against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Michigan only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Michigan-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Gaylord near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Gaylord ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Gaylord only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#607 of 718
15th percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#300 of 721
58th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#621 of 727
14th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#333 of 727
54th percentile in Michigan
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Michigan only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
12th percentile nationally for median household income · 8th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Gaylord's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Gaylord's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Gaylord's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$170,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 66% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Gaylord's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,275 of 15,516
More affordable than 34% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#8,091 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.9×, Gaylord sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,275 of 15,516 and #8,091 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$44,052Gaylord, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Gaylord, MI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Gaylord, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)20.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
4,307
Median Income
$44,052
Median Home Value
$170,300
Median Age
38.0
Poverty Rate
1.8%
Labor force participation
60.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
20.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3884.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
499.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3384.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
43.0°F
Annual Precipitation
37.2"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Gaylord's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
4,294 residents
2021
4,326 residents
2022
4,364 residents
2023
4,401 residents
2024
4,450 residents
2025
4,444 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
66.4%
Carpool
16.3%
Public Transit
2.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
13.8%
Other
1.5%
Based on 2,008 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Michigan statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $238
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Michigan at $238 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Michigan statewide averages, not a meter reading for Gaylord. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Michigan's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Gaylord is $1,113/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Michigan statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Michigan statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Gaylord sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Gaylord compares to similar-size Michigan cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.