West Branch, Michigan
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 1.2% since 2020.
2,370
people, the 228th-largest of Michigan's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Michigan's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
91.5%
of 2,318 jobs located in West Branch are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2021. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 58% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$842
a month. Michigan's median is $1,129.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $426.
A $426 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Ogemaw County.
- $519 Tract 9504
- $945 Tract 9503
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.
$834–$1,251
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $842 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2021 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 84% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.9% to the 1,188 homes here.
4–23
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2021 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 36% less than Michigan's.
$147,800
median home value in West Branch.
- $147,800 West Branch
- $231,600 Michigan
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year