Bay County Demographics

A map of Bay County's Population by Race

Bay County, Michigan has an estimated population of 103,008, a less than 1% change from the 103,856 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 88.2% White, 5.9% Hispanic, 3.7% Multiracial, 1.0% Black, 0.6% Native American/Other, and 0.5% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bay County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bay has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Michigan overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Bay County, that probability was 23.0% in 2020 and 21.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bay County is ranked the 20th most populous county in Michigan, out of 83 counties. Bay County was ranked the 20th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bay County's White Population

90,838 residents of Bay County, or 88.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bay County is significantly higher than in Michigan overall, where 72.4% of the population is White. Bay County ranks 49th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Bay County's population has increased from 87.4% to 88.2%.

Bay County is more White than neighboring Saginaw County (67.8% White). Bay County is less White than neighboring Arenac County (93% White), Midland County (89.2% White), Gladwin County (92.7% White), and Tuscola County (91.5% White).

Bay County's Black Population

1,067 residents of Bay County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bay County is considerably lower than in Michigan overall, where 13.1% of the population is Black. Bay County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's Black population has declined by an estimated 33.2%. Black residents' share of Bay County's population has decreased from 1.5% to 1.0%.

Bay County is more Black than neighboring Arenac County (0.7% Black), and Gladwin County (0.3% Black). Bay County is less Black than neighboring Saginaw County (18.1% Black), and Midland County (1.2% Black).

Bay County's Asian Population

525 residents of Bay County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bay County is slightly lower than in Michigan overall, where 3.4% of the population is Asian. Bay County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 2.4%. Asian residents' share of Bay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Bay County is more Asian than neighboring Arenac County (0.1% Asian), Gladwin County (0.4% Asian), and Tuscola County (0.4% Asian). Bay County is less Asian than neighboring Saginaw County (1.2% Asian), and Midland County (2.2% Asian).

Bay County's Hispanic Population

6,117 residents of Bay County, or 5.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bay County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 5.9% of the population is Hispanic. Bay County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 3.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Bay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.9%.

Bay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Arenac County (2.2% Hispanic), Midland County (3.4% Hispanic), Gladwin County (2.2% Hispanic), and Tuscola County (3.8% Hispanic). Bay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Saginaw County (9.2% Hispanic).

Bay County's Native American/Other Population

655 residents of Bay County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bay County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Bay County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 6.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Bay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Bay County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Arenac County (0.5% Native American/Other), Saginaw County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Tuscola County (0.3% Native American/Other). Bay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Gladwin County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Bay County's Multiracial Population

3,806 residents of Bay County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bay County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Bay County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bay County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 12.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Bay County's population has decreased from 4.2% to 3.7%.

Bay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Arenac County (3.5% Multiracial), Saginaw County (3.4% Multiracial), Midland County (3.4% Multiracial), Gladwin County (3.6% Multiracial), and Tuscola County (3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.