Population 1,138 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Sugar Rapids: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Sugar Rapids
Household size in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.18 | 2.58 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.14 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.11 | 2.53 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.04 | 2.51 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.14 | −0.06 | −0.03 |
Sugar Rapids is a place of small households, averaging 2.04 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.18, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 53.4 | 38.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 55.3 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 56.9 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 58.9 | 41.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +5.6 | +2.4 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 58.9, Sugar Rapids is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.8% | 11.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 11.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.2% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.7% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 3.7% of households in Sugar Rapids, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Sugar Rapids
Renters in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.7% | 25.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.7% | 28.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 7.2% | 28.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 4.5% | 26.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | −4.3 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 4.5% of households in Sugar Rapids rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 49.5% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 49.4% | 13.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 49.0% | 13.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 49.5% | 11.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 41.1% | 10.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −8.4 pts | −2.8 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Sugar Rapids: 41.1% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1969 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1979 | 1970 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1971 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1972 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +3 | +6 |
Homes in Sugar Rapids are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1983, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are newer than in Michigan as a whole, where the median home dates to 1972.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $611 | $833 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $675 | $886 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $833 | $978 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $810 | $1,228 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$199 | +$395 | +$606 |
Rent in Sugar Rapids runs $810 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 31.7% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Sugar Rapids
Bachelor's degrees in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.0% | 26.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.1% | 27.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.5% | 29.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.2% | 32.7% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.2 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Sugar Rapids have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 15.2%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.4% | 88.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.7% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 87.2% | 90.7% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.0% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +8.6 pts | +3.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Sugar Rapids is a bit above the national rate: 91.0% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. That is in line with the rest of Michigan.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Sugar Rapids
| Period | Sugar Rapids | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.9% | 11.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.6% | 11.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.7% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.2 pts | −5.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in Sugar Rapids: 6.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Sugar Rapids compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Rapids | 2.04 | 58.9 | 3.7% | 4.5% | 41.1% | 1983 | $810 | 15.2% | 91.0% | 6.7% |
| Hockaday | 1.99 | 59.4 | 2.0% | 2.4% | 25.2% | 1991 | $701 | 17.3% | 91.4% | 3.3% |
| Greenwood | 2.26 | 50.2 | 9.6% | 14.4% | 33.6% | 1978 | $807 | 18.0% | 93.3% | 5.2% |
| Gladwin | 2.26 | 52.9 | 5.1% | 15.9% | 29.4% | 1979 | $746 | 17.7% | 88.4% | 7.7% |
| Wooden Shoe Village | 2.26 | 52.5 | 8.0% | 9.0% | 34.6% | 1981 | $849 | 14.9% | 87.2% | 5.1% |
| Alger | 2.22 | 53.9 | 8.4% | 4.1% | 35.8% | 1984 | $813 | 15.2% | 90.0% | 10.9% |
| Wagarville | 2.58 | 45.1 | 5.6% | 19.8% | 18.9% | 1977 | $817 | 15.6% | 83.5% | 7.0% |
| West Branch | 2.18 | 48.2 | 9.5% | 23.0% | 22.6% | 1976 | $847 | 20.4% | 93.1% | 5.4% |
| Winegars | 2.15 | 51.9 | 7.2% | 11.2% | 28.9% | 1981 | $745 | 20.0% | 86.4% | 4.9% |
| Skeels | 2.34 | 54.2 | 3.5% | 4.3% | 47.5% | 1977 | $741 | 13.0% | 89.6% | 11.0% |
| Skidway Lake | 2.03 | 52.6 | 9.6% | 18.0% | 42.6% | 1973 | $851 | 11.5% | 86.8% | 7.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Salem, NM · Lisman, AL · Lowden, IA · Luzerne, MI · Marblehead, OH · Mars Hill, ME · Melbourne, IA · Roslyn Harbor, NY · Rough Rock, AZ · Rye, TX
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Sugar Rapids. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.