County · Michigan

Roscommon County, Michigan

Roscommon County, Michigan. Roscommon County had 23,914 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.9% since 2020, faster than Michigan (+0.5%). It holds 15 places (1 city, village or borough, 11 towns and townships and 3 census-designated) and 13 census tracts. GEOID 26143.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

23,914

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 23,459 · ACS 2020-2024: 23,737

Median household income

$55,246

±$2,903 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875

Median home value

$158,700

±$7,566 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600

Median gross rent

$816

±$38 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129

How many people live in Roscommon County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 23,459 residents in Roscommon County. The Census Bureau estimates 23,914 for July 1, 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, faster than Michigan (+0.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 23,737 over 520 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +198 (23,674)
2021→2022 +56 (23,730)
2022→2023 +210 (23,940)
2023→2024 +11 (23,951)
2024→2025 −37 (23,914)

Roscommon County in Michigan. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Roscommon County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	23,737	10,077,761	−114
Households	11,579±352	4,076,369	no clear change
Average household size	2.03±0.06	2.42	no clear change
Housing units	23,213±70	4,622,236	−1,325

Roscommon County's population since 2000

From 25,469 in 2000 to 23,914 in 2025: down 6.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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.

2000 Census 25,469
2005 (estimate) 25,678
2010 Census 24,449
2015 (estimate) 23,910
2020 Census 23,459
2025 (estimate) 23,914

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Roscommon County?

Roscommon County holds 15 places: 1 city, village or borough (an incorporated place), 11 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 3 census-designated places. The largest is Houghton Lake with 5,769 residents (2020-2024). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Roscommon County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Houghton Lake	CDP	5,294	5,769±402	$50,305	$126,200	19.0%	100%
Denton Township	township	5,293	5,372±31	$45,640	$163,200	19.7%	100%
Roscommon Township	township	4,397	4,456±30	$53,186	$137,700	12.3%	100%
Richfield Township, Roscommon County	township	3,545	3,563±38	$47,055	$110,200	29.6%	100%
Gerrish Township	township	2,796	2,815±43	$95,813	$232,100	6.6%	100%
St. Helen	CDP	2,735	2,929±193	$44,871	$95,600	32.8%	100%
Markey Township	township	2,401	2,228±256	$51,587	$166,300	12.2%	100%
Higgins Township	township	1,864	2,054±276	$55,313	$103,000	9.9%	100%
Prudenville	CDP	1,643	1,350±259	$33,635	$163,300	13.6%	100%
Lyon Township	township	1,252	1,291±196	$68,472	$211,100	8.2%	100%
Lake Township, Roscommon County	township	1,119	1,188±192	$63,295	$299,100	12.8%	100%
Roscommon	village	981	1,118±203	$54,167	$93,900	12.4%	100%
Backus Township	township	294	378±95	$62,500	$167,900	14.4%	100%
Nester TownshipGEOID 2614356980	township	262	183±62	$63,750	$132,100	10.9%	100%
Au Sable TownshipGEOID 2614304320	township	236	209±63	$61,250	$158,300	11.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Roscommon County?

The median resident of Roscommon County is 57.7 years old; 14.3% are under 18 and 34.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.4%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 4.4%. 1.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Roscommon County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	57.7±0.5	40.2	+1.5
Under 18 years	14.3%±0.1 pts	21.2%	–
65 years and over	34.5%±0.1 pts	18.6%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.0%	5.9%	+0.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	92.4%±0.7 pts	72.4%	−2.5 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.3 pts	13.1%	+0.5 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	3.4%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.4%±0.8 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	1.3%±0.4 pts	7.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	1.4%±0.5 pts	10.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	10.1%±1.2 pts	5.8%	–
With a disability	24.3%±1.5 pts	14.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.9%±1.0 pts	4.9%	−1.8 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.8%±1.3 pts	92.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	20.2%±1.8 pts	32.4%	+4.7 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.2%±1.1 pts	12.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±0.6 pts	1.4%	–

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 Roscommon County earn?

Half of Roscommon County's 11,579 households earn less than $55,246 a year (±$2,903), against $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $51,756 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 15.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Roscommon County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$55,246±$2,903	$72,875	no clear change
Mean household income	$77,936±$4,589	$98,700	–
Per capita income	$38,044±$2,340	$40,735	+$6,283
People below the poverty line	15.5%±2.2 pts	13.2%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	26.8%±8.5 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	16.8%±1.8 pts	13.5%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.8%±1.8 pts	90.5%	–

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 Roscommon County?

Owners occupy 85.4% of Roscommon County's occupied homes and renters 14.6%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $158,700 by its owner (±$7,566). The median renter pays $816 a month including utilities, and 42.3% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Roscommon County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$158,700±$7,566	$231,600	+$25,539
Median gross rent	$816±$38	$1,129	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	42.3%±8.5 pts	41.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,145±$48	$1,569	–
Owner-occupied homes	85.4%±1.9 pts	73.2%	+3.4 pts
Housing units	23,213±70	4,622,236	−1,325
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.7%±0.7 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	8.2%±4.5 pts	5.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	87.1%±1.4 pts	72.0%	–
Mobile homes	8.9%±1.2 pts	5.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.4%±0.2 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	2.8%±0.7 pts	14.6%	–

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 many new homes is Roscommon County building?

Builders took permits for 75 new housing units across Roscommon County in 2025 (75 single-family), 3.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 21 units
2020 62 units
2021 64 units
2022 54 units
2023 70 units
2024 56 units
2025 75 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Roscommon County get to work?

74.1% of Roscommon County's workers drive alone and 11.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Roscommon County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	42.3%±1.7 pts	61.3%	–
Unemployment rate	4.7%±1.2 pts	5.7%	−4.7 pts
Drove alone to work	74.1%±3.2 pts	74.3%	–
Carpooled	12.4%±2.6 pts	7.9%	–
Public transportation	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.9%	–
Walked	1.0%±0.6 pts	2.0%	–
Worked from home	11.2%±1.9 pts	13.5%	+5.4 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.3 min±1.6	24.2 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 are Roscommon County's census tracts?

Roscommon County is divided into 13 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $45,107 (Tract 9702) to $101,667 (Tract 9704.01).

Census tracts of Roscommon County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 970126143970100	St. Helen (35%)	1,712	1,567±205	$47,240	$123,800	$727	18.1%
Tract 970226143970200	St. Helen (96%)	1,746	1,946±229	$45,107	$94,800	$875	39.9%
Tract 970326143970300	Roscommon (29%)	2,878	2,865±261	$63,781	$153,700	$669	8.2%
Tract 9704.0126143970401	–	1,144	1,289±220	$101,667	$223,200	not published	4.9%
Tract 9704.0226143970402	–	688	615±122	$67,250	$273,100	not published	13.3%
Tract 970526143970500	–	1,017	984±143	$65,368	$195,300	$867	9.3%
Tract 970626143970600	–	2,138	2,311±239	$63,105	$214,500	$838	7.8%
Tract 970726143970700	Prudenville (46%)	2,477	2,444±263	$53,500	$183,500	$823	14.5%
Tract 9710.0126143971001	Houghton Lake (8%)	1,637	1,488±209	$56,500	$150,000	$798	16.9%
Tract 9710.0226143971002	Houghton Lake (60%)	1,034	1,491±353	$46,201	$103,700	$1,004	25.1%
Tract 9710.0326143971003	Houghton Lake (93%)	1,524	1,564±220	$70,046	$166,300	$986	4.8%
Tract 971126143971100	Prudenville (18%)	2,711	2,337±242	$47,717	$192,500	$803	17.3%
Tract 971226143971200	Houghton Lake (98%)	2,753	2,836±270	$48,288	$112,800	$696	17.8%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Roscommon County compare with Michigan's other counties?

Roscommon County's rank among Michigan's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	60th of 83
Growth 2020-2025	27th of 83
Residents per square mile	54th of 83
Median household income	70th of 83
Median home value	59th of 83
Median gross rent	57th of 83
Poverty rate	20th of 83
Bachelor's degree or higher	57th of 83
Median age	3rd of 83

Every county in Michigan

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Roscommon County 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' school search.