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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-WHITE-CLOUD-MI · White Cloud, MI 1,297 pop · income 28th pct
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 White Cloud
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest White Cloud on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Nellieburg · lowest
24,227
Nellieburg · lowest
24,227 median HH income
22.4% of the leader · rank #1
White Cloud · this city
55,417
White Cloud · this city
55,417 median HH income
51.3% of the leader · rank #2
Columbia · near
55,417
Columbia · near
55,417 median HH income
51.3% of the leader · rank #3
Fruithurst · near
55,417
Fruithurst · near
55,417 median HH income
51.3% of the leader · rank #4
Emmonak · near
55,417
Emmonak · near
55,417 median HH income
51.3% of the leader · rank #5
Kipnuk · near
55,417
Kipnuk · near
55,417 median HH income
51.3% of the leader · rank #6
Haskins · highest
108,000
Haskins · highest
108,000 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for White Cloud on ACS population and median household income
. 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: 1,297.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, White Cloud places in the 28th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
28th
percentile, household income
27th
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
📝 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: White Cloud, MI
Michigan's White Cloud is a small town, with 1,297 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in White Cloud brings in $55,417 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 14.3%. Typical homes in White Cloud are valued around $150,600, and the median resident age is 38.1 years. 14.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 43.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 18 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Low Activity).
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). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,113 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Michigan run around $238, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 49.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of White Cloud'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 population change to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For White Cloud, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in White Cloud?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 14.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Is White Cloud growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +71 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 18 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for White Cloud?
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Greilickville (1,296 residents, $84,327 income); Douglas (1,295 residents, $77,841 income); Stanton (1,292 residents, $45,714 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Canaan, CT (1,297 residents); Baldwin, FL (1,297 residents); Hebron, MD (1,297 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.
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.
What does the education layer cover for White Cloud?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 14.2% 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.
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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in White Cloud?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
2.5%
Work from home
10.2%
Drive alone
62.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 472 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 14.3% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.2 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
F
City profile score · White Cloud, MI
32/100
4 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.
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.
Household income F
$55,417
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
14.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
14.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
White Cloud profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Household income: 28/100 (F) · $55,417
Poverty rate: 24/100 (F) · 14.3%
Bachelor's+ share: 18/100 (F) · 14.2%
How does White Cloud compare to other US cities?
Here's how White Cloud stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income28% higher than other cities
Home value27% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares White Cloud 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 White Cloud near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, White Cloud ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares White Cloud only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#432 of 718
40th percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#363 of 721
50th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#181 of 727
75th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#507 of 727
30th 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
28th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How White Cloud's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$150,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 73% 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
White Cloud's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,117 of 15,516
More affordable than 67% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#4,483 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.7×, White Cloud sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,117 of 15,516 and #4,483 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$55,417White Cloud, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context White Cloud, 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 White Cloud, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)14.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)14.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)43.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,297
Median Income
$55,417
Median Home Value
$150,600
Median Age
38.1
Poverty Rate
14.3%
Labor force participation
43.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.2%
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
White Cloud's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,477 residents
2021
1,478 residents
2022
1,477 residents
2023
1,477 residents
2024
1,511 residents
2025
1,548 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
18
housing units authorized
Single-Family
18
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
13.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
17
17
0
$5.2M
2024
18
18
0
$5.8M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
62.3%
Carpool
21.8%
Public Transit
2.5%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
10.2%
Other
0.7%
Based on 472 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 White Cloud. 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 White Cloud 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 White Cloud sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How White Cloud 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, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.