Gladwin County Community Profile

Gladwin County is growing, 214 new households between 2020 and 2024, with 127 more projected by 2029. That growth is real and it is creating real pressure on a housing market that has very little to offer.

The median household income here is $58,700, and median home values are $181,098, among the higher values in the region, reflecting in part the appeal of the county’s lakes and natural amenities. But that appeal cuts both ways: it draws people in while making it harder for the workforce that sustains local businesses and services to find housing they can afford.

Gladwin County has the highest rate of homeowner overcrowding in the region, 2.5% of owner-occupied households are overcrowded, and the highest rate of incomplete plumbing in owner-occupied homes as well, at 4.4%. These numbers point to a housing stock that is strained and, in some cases, deteriorating. About 35.6% of renters are cost burdened, and more than 22% of homeowners are in the same position, the second highest homeowner cost burden rate in the region.

Rental vacancy rates are extremely tight. Just 3 vacant units were found among 259 surveyed multifamily rentals, a vacancy rate of 1.2%. Over 185 households are on rental wait lists.

Between now and 2029, Gladwin County needs 258 additional rental units and 1,145 additional for-sale homes. Download the full Gladwin County profile to see where that need falls by income level and housing type.