County · Michigan

Van Buren County, Michigan

Van Buren County, Michigan. Van Buren County had 76,071 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 0.6% since 2020, in line with Michigan (+0.5%). It holds 29 places (11 cities, villages and boroughs and 18 towns and townships) and 23 census tracts. GEOID 26159.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

76,071

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 75,587 · ACS 2020-2024: 75,795

Median household income

$68,114

±$2,018 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875

Median home value

$206,500

±$6,313 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600

Median gross rent

$870

±$37 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129

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

The 2020 Census counted 75,587 residents in Van Buren County. The Census Bureau estimates 76,071 for July 1, 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, in line with Michigan (+0.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 75,795 over 608 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +138 (75,712)
2021→2022 −31 (75,681)
2022→2023 +228 (75,909)
2023→2024 +191 (76,100)
2024→2025 −29 (76,071)

Van Buren County in Michigan. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Van Buren County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	75,795	10,077,761	+437
Households	30,622±511	4,076,369	+1,211
Average household size	2.44±0.04	2.42	−0.07
Housing units	37,405±41	4,622,236	no clear change

Van Buren County's population since 2000

From 76,263 in 2000 to 76,071 in 2025: down 0.3%. 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 76,263
2005 (estimate) 77,009
2010 Census 76,258
2015 (estimate) 75,087
2020 Census 75,587
2025 (estimate) 76,071

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 Van Buren County?

Van Buren County holds 29 places: 11 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 18 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Antwerp Township with 13,832 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

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

Antwerp Township	township	13,425	13,588±47	$80,234	$243,400	8.9%	100%
Paw Paw Township	township	6,881	6,910±57	$60,828	$197,400	13.7%	100%
Almena Township	township	5,308	5,346±35	$107,901	$270,000	4.2%	100%
South Haven Charter Township	charter township	4,041	4,089±19	$56,591	$233,900	19.2%	100%
South Haven	city	3,964	3,998±21	$68,239	$454,100	15.8%	100%
Decatur Township	township	3,575	3,537±39	$67,917	$158,000	18.2%	100%
Geneva Township, Van Buren County	township	3,416	3,412±28	$75,139	$183,800	11.8%	100%
Paw Paw	village	3,362	3,289±35	$41,587	$148,200	21.9%	100%
Lawrence Township	township	3,289	3,290±25	$63,607	$179,500	19.5%	100%
Hartford Township	township	3,021	2,980±68	$54,659	$150,000	12.2%	100%
Pine Grove Township	township	2,994	3,019±23	$69,239	$192,200	7.4%	100%
Bloomingdale Township	township	2,930	2,972±23	$65,634	$135,600	25.8%	100%
Porter Township, Van Buren County	township	2,568	2,540±15	$81,438	$306,800	7.9%	100%
Mattawan	village	2,550	2,692±24	$61,587	$181,600	12.1%	100%
Columbia Township, Van Buren County	township	2,546	2,552±19	$63,068	$164,500	18.8%	100%
Hartford	city	2,515	2,458±367	$42,171	$108,700	16.3%	100%
Covert Township	township	2,510	2,502±33	$37,697	$157,600	30.1%	100%
Waverly Township, Van Buren County	township	2,506	2,507±25	$84,306	$222,400	9.7%	100%
Bangor	city	2,016	2,129±303	$49,764	$111,200	19.9%	100%
Keeler Township	township	1,968	2,196±334	$59,205	$214,300	11.1%	100%
Arlington Township	township	1,958	1,630±174	$64,926	$201,300	17.4%	100%
Bangor Township	township	1,939	2,223±457	$60,500	$168,100	29.5%	100%
Lawton	village	1,850	2,104±367	$52,652	$171,100	19.3%	100%
Decatur	village	1,651	1,835±334	$61,806	$137,500	19.7%	100%
Hamilton Township, Van Buren County	township	1,370	1,331±284	$64,792	$214,100	14.4%	100%
Lawrence	village	964	942±310	$36,058	$133,900	28.9%	100%
Gobles	city	851	595±136	$44,250	$104,200	22.8%	100%
Bloomingdale	village	513	522±191	$66,250	$117,500	23.8%	100%
BreedsvilleGEOID 2610180	village	202	288±198	$98,750	$217,200	4.9%	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 Van Buren County?

The median resident of Van Buren County is 41.2 years old; 22.9% are under 18 and 19.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 78.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 12.5%. 4.6% 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	Van Buren County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.2±0.4	40.2	no clear change
Under 18 years	22.9%	21.2%	–
65 years and over	19.9%±0.1 pts	18.6%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	12.5%	5.9%	+1.0 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	78.2%±0.5 pts	72.4%	−3.0 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	3.5%±0.3 pts	13.1%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.1 pts	3.4%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.1 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%±0.6 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	4.6%±0.5 pts	7.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	10.1%±0.6 pts	10.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.1%±0.6 pts	5.8%	–
With a disability	11.7%±0.7 pts	14.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	7.0%±0.9 pts	4.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	89.6%±1.0 pts	92.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	23.0%±1.1 pts	32.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.4%±0.8 pts	12.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.7%±0.4 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 Van Buren County earn?

Half of Van Buren County's 30,622 households earn less than $68,114 a year (±$2,018), against $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $67,054 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.3% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Van Buren County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$68,114±$2,018	$72,875	no clear change
Mean household income	$85,909±$2,424	$98,700	–
Per capita income	$35,009±$893	$40,735	no clear change
People below the poverty line	14.3%±1.4 pts	13.2%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	19.2%±3.0 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	13.7%±1.2 pts	13.5%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	89.4%±1.1 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 Van Buren County?

Owners occupy 80.6% of Van Buren County's occupied homes and renters 19.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $206,500 by its owner (±$6,313). The median renter pays $870 a month including utilities, and 38.9% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Van Buren County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$206,500±$6,313	$231,600	+$34,941
Median gross rent	$870±$37	$1,129	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	38.9%±4.9 pts	41.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,404±$33	$1,569	–
Owner-occupied homes	80.6%±1.2 pts	73.2%	+3.6 pts
Housing units	37,405±41	4,622,236	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.5%±2.7 pts	5.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	78.2%±1.3 pts	72.0%	–
Mobile homes	11.1%±1.0 pts	5.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.3%±0.4 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	17.7%±1.3 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 Van Buren County building?

Builders took permits for 210 new housing units across Van Buren County in 2025 (200 single-family), 2.8 per 1,000 residents.

2019 125 units
2020 176 units
2021 246 units
2022 173 units
2023 205 units
2024 212 units
2025 210 units

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

How do people in Van Buren County get to work?

76.3% of Van Buren County's workers drive alone and 10.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.5 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.2%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Van Buren County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	58.6%±1.1 pts	61.3%	–
Unemployment rate	4.2%±0.6 pts	5.7%	−1.5 pts
Drove alone to work	76.3%±1.7 pts	74.3%	–
Carpooled	10.2%±1.3 pts	7.9%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.3 pts	0.9%	–
Walked	1.9%±0.5 pts	2.0%	–
Worked from home	10.5%±1.3 pts	13.5%	+6.7 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.5 min±0.8	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 Van Buren County's census tracts?

Van Buren County is divided into 23 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $37,697 (Tract 106) to $108,244 (Tract 109.02).

All 23 census tracts of Van Buren County, with their figures

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

How does Van Buren County compare with Michigan's other counties?

Van Buren County's rank among Michigan's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	26th of 83
Growth 2020-2025	45th of 83
Residents per square mile	27th of 83
Median household income	27th of 83
Median home value	26th of 83
Median gross rent	44th of 83
Poverty rate	29th of 83
Bachelor's degree or higher	37th of 83
Median age	63rd 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 Van Buren 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.