Berrien County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Berrien County, Michigan had an estimated 152,703 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 154,539, across 568 square miles. County output reached $9.72 bn in 2024, 3,561 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 149 7(a) approvals worth $76.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Berrien County
How many people live in Berrien County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024153,288
- Households63,999
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$65,425
- Median age42.7
- Median gross rent$942 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$224,300
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over108,207
- Population under 1832,692
- Share under 1821.3 percent
- Population 65 and over32,703
- Share 65 and over21.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6487,893
- Civilian labor force74,765
- Unemployment rate6.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.0 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties16th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included454th of 3,222
Berrien County is the 16th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.3 percent against 21.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Berrien County
Is Berrien County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024152,703
- Census 2020 base population154,539
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.19 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202452
- Births, 20241,435
- Deaths, 20241,922
- Natural change, 2024-487
- Net domestic migration, 2024-267
- Net international migration, 2024806
- Total net migration, 2024539
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,644
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2263rd of 3,144
The county has lost 1.19 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Berrien County
Where are people moving to Berrien County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,355
- People arriving, from those returns5,946
- Tax returns filed by households leaving3,468
- Net household movement-113
- Adjusted gross income arriving$307.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$13.4 m
- Average income of an arriving household$91,777
- Average income of a leaving household$84,932
- Largest single originSt. Joseph County (378 households)
- Largest single destinationSt. Joseph County (341 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County | 378 | 628 | $30.3 m |
| Cass County | 309 | 580 | $13.1 m |
| Cook County | 288 | 519 | $77.2 m |
| Van Buren County | 224 | 380 | $12.9 m |
| Kalamazoo County | 140 | 233 | $8.8 m |
| Elkhart County | 89 | 134 | $3.5 m |
| Kent County | 87 | 145 | $3.8 m |
| LaPorte County | 86 | 158 | $4.4 m |
Households arriving report $6,845 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is St. Joseph County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Berrien County
What is the Berrien County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$9.72 bn
- County GDP, 2023$9.49 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.4 percent
- GDP change over five years21.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Michigan areas BEA publishes12th of 83
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes453rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$63,399
Output grew 2.4 percent in the latest year and 21.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Berrien County
Employment by industry in Berrien County
- Covered employment, annual average60,626
- Establishments reporting4,096
- Average annual pay$57,009
- Average weekly wage$1,096
- Manufacturing, employment11,601
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$83,266
- Health care and social assistance, employment8,001
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$57,662
- Retail trade, employment7,096
- Retail trade, average annual pay$34,508
- Accommodation and food services, employment6,789
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$23,690
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment3,037
- Other services, except public administration, employment2,176
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11,601 | 312 | $83,266 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,001 | 587 | $57,662 |
| Retail trade | 7,096 | 498 | $34,508 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,789 | 389 | $23,690 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 3,037 | 192 | $48,646 |
| Other services, except public administration | 2,176 | 393 | $37,863 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,013 | 180 | $84,874 |
| Construction | 1,974 | 342 | $73,579 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 11,601 jobs, 19.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Berrien County
How many businesses are in Berrien County?
- Establishments, all industries3,561
- Employment at those establishments52,794
- Annual payroll$2.84 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Berrien County
Building permits in Berrien County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024354
- Declared construction value permitted$139.2 m
- Single family units authorized339
- Multifamily units authorized15
- Multifamily share of units4.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$393,326
- Units authorized per 1,000 households5.5
Single-family homes are 95.8 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Berrien County
SBA loans in Berrien County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded149
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$76.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$509,880
- Median 7(a) approval$183,000
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,631,760
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,490
- Jobs per approval10.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active35
- Distinct industries receiving approvals73
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms30
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter106
- Franchise loans25
- Franchise share of approvals16.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (13)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (43)
- 504 approvals recorded51
- 504 gross approval dollars$33.4 m
- Average 504 approval$654,784
- Median 504 approval$384,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval18.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved27.7
- Most active CDCBusiness Development Corporation (BDC) (23)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$109.4 m
The average approval of $509,880 sits well above the median of $183,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 20.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Berrien County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Berrien County
Do SBA loans in Berrien County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded31
- Paid in full31
- Charged off0
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full31
- Status: Exempt from disclosure101
- Status: Cancelled11
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed6
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Berrien County
SBA lending by place in Berrien County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending20
- St. Joseph, approvals34
- Niles, approvals27
- Benton Harbor, approvals24
- New Buffalo, approvals15
- Stevensville, approvals10
- Berrien Springs, approvals7
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | 34 | $15,948,500 |
| Niles | 27 | $12,405,900 |
| Benton Harbor | 24 | $14,140,300 |
| New Buffalo | 15 | $12,706,800 |
| Stevensville | 10 | $5,925,800 |
| Berrien Springs | 7 | $732,300 |
| Coloma | 5 | $2,775,000 |
| Bridgman | 5 | $1,168,400 |
| 12 other borrower cities | 22 | $10,169,100 |
St. Joseph accounts for 34 approvals against 27 in Niles. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Berrien County
How large is Berrien County?
- Land area568 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties42nd of 83
- Width, east to west31 mi
- Height, north to south33.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land270
- Establishments per square mile6.27
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Berrien County
Flood risk in Berrien County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book36
- Of those, participating in the NFIP33
- NFIP participation rate91.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Berrien County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The EPA places Berrien County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 91.7 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Berrien County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Berrien County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024153,288
- Households63,999
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$65,425
- Median age42.7
Common questions
Berrien County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Berrien County, Michigan?
The Census Bureau estimates 152,703 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 153,288, in 63,999 households, ranking 16th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Berrien County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.19 percent since the 2020 census base of 154,539, to 152,703 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 1,435 births against 1,922 deaths, with net migration of 539. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Berrien County?
$65,425. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $224,300, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $942 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Berrien County?
3,561 establishments, employing 52,794 people with an annual payroll of $2.84 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Berrien County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 11,601 jobs, 19.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 60,626 jobs at an average annual pay of $57,009, or $1,096 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Berrien County?
149 7(a) approvals totaling $76.0 m since FY2020, across 35 lenders, with a median approval of $183,000, plus 51 504 approvals worth $33.4 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Berrien County get paid back?
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 31 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge-off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Berrien County?
354 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $139.2 m. Multifamily was 4.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Berrien County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Berrien County come from?
The largest single origin is St. Joseph County, with 378 households. Arriving households report an average income of $91,777 against $84,932 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Berrien County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Berrien County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Berrien County
Cities and places in Berrien.
24 Census places lie wholly or partly in Berrien County. All 24 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles | city | 11,803 | 27 | 89.3 percent here, 10.7 percent Cass County |
| Benton Harbor | city | 8,953 | 24 | Wholly in this county |
| St. Joseph | city | 7,986 | 34 | Wholly in this county |
| Fair Plain | CDP | 7,330 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Buchanan | city | 4,223 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Paw Paw Lake | CDP | 3,889 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Benton Heights | CDP | 3,078 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Watervliet | city | 2,156 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Bridgman | city | 2,077 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Berrien Springs | village | 2,018 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Three Oaks | village | 1,503 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert | CDP | 1,459 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| New Buffalo | city | 1,338 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Shoreham | village | 1,100 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Stevensville | village | 1,095 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Coloma | city | 1,074 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Baroda | village | 859 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Lake Michigan Beach | CDP | 823 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Eau Claire | village | 576 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Millburg | CDP | 568 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Galien | village | 470 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| New Troy | CDP | 413 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Grand Beach | village | 353 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Michiana | village | 291 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 8 of the county's 149 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Berrien County, the largest being Sawyer (3), Sodus (1), Elkhart (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby