Lake Michigan Beach, Michigan Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 823, Lake Michigan Beach's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Lake Michigan Beach is a small community located in Michigan, within Berrien County. The total population is 823. It ranks as the 468th most populous out of 745 Census-designated places in Michigan.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lake Michigan Beach is 51.4 years. This is 28% higher than the state median of 40.2 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lake Michigan Beach is $56,809. This is 22% lower than the state median of $72,875. It is also 30% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 8.0%. This is 39% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.2%. The unemployment rate is 2.7%. This is 52% lower than the state rate of 5.7%. The median home value is $255,800. Housing costs are 10% higher than the state median of $231,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.5x. 88.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 21% higher than the state average of 73.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

Lake Michigan Beach has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 86.6% of all residents. Black or African American residents account for 9.2%.

Education

31.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 3% lower than the state rate of 32.5%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 95.5%. Notably, 15.2% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Lake Michigan Beach, Michigan is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Michigan state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 745 Census-designated places in Michigan. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.