South Haven, Allegan County, Van Buren County, Michigan Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for South Haven, Michigan, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in South Haven, Michigan. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in South Haven, Michigan. The estimated population of South Haven, Michigan is 4,055 people, with a median age of 59.4.

We can look at the total population in South Haven over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
4,055
-6.57% -6.67%
2020
4,340
-0.32% -
2019
4,354
+0.3%
-
2018
4,341
-0.09% -
2017
4,345
- -

Population of South Haven, Michigan by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
79.3%
79.2%
+0.13%
Black/African American
15.2%
13.3%
+14.29%
Native
0.2%
0.4%
-50.00%
Hispanic
3.3%
2%
+65.00%
Asian
1.1%
2.2%
-50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
0.9%
2.8%
-67.86%
Other
0%
0%
0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of South Haven, Michigan by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 59.4 0% 58.6 -0.85% 61.4 +1.15%
2020 59.4 +2.77% 59.1 +2.25% 60.7 +5.02%
2019 57.8 +4.52% 57.8 +11.37% 57.8 +2.66%
2018 55.3 -0.54% 51.9 -3.71% 56.3 0%
2017 55.6 - 53.9 - 56.3 -

The median age of South Haven, Michigan gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 197 23.01% 199 +5.54% 191 203
10 to 19 158 +22.4% 188 -31.96% 189 129
20 to 29 159 +22.25% 221 -52.18% 188 109
30 to 39 172 -62.56% 169 +41.34% 84 247
40 to 49 221 -8.64% 227 -38.67% 188 134
50 to 59 338 -40.58% 339 -42.82% 214 213
60 to 69 354 -0.33% 534 -2.84% 344 511
70+ 358 +39.6% 511 +20.18% 495 616

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of South Haven, Michigan is $55,469.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for South Haven.

  • Under 25
    $26,176.00
  • 25 to 44
    $57,813.00
  • 45 to 64
    $76,429.00
  • 65 and over
    $46,094.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in South Haven, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in South Haven, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of South Haven, Michigan is currently $76,848.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

5.71% of households in South Haven are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of South Haven against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    20.61%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    26.82%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    16.82%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.23%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    11.41%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.40%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.71%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in South Haven is $37,462.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of South Haven by the total population of South Haven.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in South Haven, Michigan, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in South Haven to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    18.07%
  • Bachelor's degree
    31.28%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.95%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    38.44%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.26%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in South Haven that are over the age of 16.

The total population of South Haven over the age of 16 is 3,517.

Of those people, a total of 44.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in South Haven is 42.80%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 174 44.30% 27.40%
20 to 24 years 114 47.40% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 183 100.00% 5.50%
30 to 34 years 84 42.90% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 454 68.10% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 221 85.10% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 321 88.20% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 307 48.90% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 867 26.20% 0.00%
75 years and over 792 5.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in South Haven. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 2,929 44.30% 0.00%
Black or African American 446 47.10% 13.80%
American Indian and Alaska Native 10 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 44 70.50% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 88 3.40% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 119 30.30% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 2,885 43.80% 0.00%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in South Haven as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in South Haven is 1,504, with median earnings of $42,058.00.

Women in South Haven, Michigan earning approximately 83.90% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 1,504 $42,058.00
Male 858 $44,970.00
Female 646 $37,750.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 186 $80,667.00
Business and Financial 40 $96,250.00
Computer and Mathematical 10 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 35 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 57 $138,125.00
Community and Social Service 61 $58,672.00
Legal 16 $0.00
Educational and Library 40 $23,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 83 $38,675.00
Healthcare Practitioners 92 $63,750.00
Healthcare Support 6 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 9 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 118 $40,698.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 6 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 62 $26,105.00
Sales 255 $32,153.00
Office and Administrative Support 49 $36,063.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 153 $41,563.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 37 $102,898.00
Production 90 $40,278.00
Transportation and Material Moving 62 $19,808.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 101 $132,679.00 85 $74,583.00
Business and Financial 26 $115,313.00 14 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 10 $0.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 35 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 57 $138,125.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 9 $0.00 52 $58,438.00
Legal 16 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 30 $2,500.00 10 $0.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 23 $0.00 60 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 9 $0.00 83 $42,292.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 6 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 9 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 39 $43,259.00 79 $40,203.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 6 $0.00 0 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 7 $0.00 55 $26,308.00
Sales 125 $44,464.00 130 $21,827.00
Office and Administrative Support 33 $0.00 16 $0.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 153 $41,563.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 37 $102,898.00 0 $0.00
Production 84 $40,694.00 6 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 35 $66,406.00 27 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 1,980 households in South Haven, with an average household size of 1.98 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,174 families in South Haven with an average family size of 2.52 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 907 56 211 806
Average Household Size 2.48 1.91 2.87 1.2
Total Families 907 56 211 0
Average Household Size 2.48 1.91 2.85 0

Poverty

Of the 1,174 families in South Haven, 14.00% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in South Haven:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 3,360 housing units in South Haven, Michigan.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,980 58.93%
Vacant 1,380 41.07%

20.57% of the total 3,360 housing units in South Haven are rental units. This is approximately 691 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,276 are occupied by the owner - or 37.98% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in South Haven is $709.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in South Haven that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    13
  • Less than $500
    227
  • $500 to $999
    244
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    220
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in South Haven is $306,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in South Haven that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    24
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    83
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    109
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    171
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    239
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    336
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    299
  • $1,000,000 or more
    15

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in South Haven. The chart below shows the number of properties in South Haven that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,140
  • 1940 to 1949
    409
  • 1950 to 1959
    347
  • 1960 to 1969
    267
  • 1970 to 1979
    254
  • 1980 to 1989
    377
  • 1990 to 1999
    306
  • 2000 to 2009
    215
  • 2010 to 2013
    45
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in South Haven that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    210
  • 1 vehicle available
    756
  • 2 vehicles available
    802
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    212

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in South Haven get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in South Haven that commute to work in a particular way.

20.1 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in South Haven.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    180
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    421
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    120
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    121
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    22
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    17
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    107
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    37
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    71
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    67
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    90
  • 90 or more minutes
    27

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for South Haven, Michigan in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.