HomeMichiganGrand Traverse CountyTraverse City
Traverse City, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Traverse City is a Census city of 15,593 people across 8.28 square miles of land, lying across Grand Traverse County and Leelanau County. Median household income is $74,087, 63.7 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 210 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $93.5 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Traverse City
What Traverse City is
- Census place typecity
- Land area8.28 sq mi
- Water area0.33 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,884
- County holding the largest share of its areaGrand Traverse County, 95.9 percent
- Counties this place lies inGrand Traverse County 95.9 percent, Leelanau County 4.1 percent
Traverse City crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Traverse City
How many people live in Traverse City
- Population15,593
- Median age42.7
- Population under 182,584
- Share under 1816.6 percent
- Population 65 and over3,729
- Share 65 and over23.9 percent
- Households7,191
- Family households3,593
- Share of households that are families50.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Traverse City
Income and work in Traverse City
- Median household income$74,087
- Per capita income$53,432
- Civilian labor force8,267
- Employed7,836
- Unemployed431 plus or minus 218
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent plus or minus 2.6
- Adults 25 and over11,665
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher47.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree22.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Traverse City
Housing in Traverse City
- Housing units8,479
- Occupied units7,191
- Vacant units1,288 plus or minus 311
- Vacancy rate15.2 percent plus or minus 3.6
- Owner occupied4,578
- Renter occupied2,613
- Ownership rate63.7 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$415,400
- Median gross rent, monthly$995
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.1 percent
- Single family units5,711
- Share single family67.4 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more2,768
- Share in buildings of two or more32.6 percent
- Mobile homes0
- Median year structure built1964
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Traverse City
How Traverse City gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute6,184
- Commuting under 15 minutes3,475
- Share commuting under 15 minutes56.2 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more825 plus or minus 199
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more13.3 percent plus or minus 3.0
- Drove alone58.3 percent
- Carpooled6.5 percent plus or minus 2.3
- Public transport1.1 percent plus or minus 0.9
- Walked5.9 percent plus or minus 1.8
- Worked from home19.4 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Traverse City
SBA loans in Traverse City (7(a))
- Approvals210
- Gross approval$93,514,300
- Average approval$445,306
- Median approval$150,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$995,500
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported2,432
- Jobs per approval11.6
- Loans with a final outcome56
- Paid in full55
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans1.8 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more13.3 percent
- Share to franchises12.9 percent
- Distinct lenders36
- Distinct industries by NAICS117
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Traverse City, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Traverse City
SBA loans in Traverse City (504)
- Approvals181
- Gross approval$80,262,000
- Average approval$443,436
- Median approval$285,000
- Largest approval$4,083,000
- Jobs supported1,033
- Loans with a final outcome68
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans1.5 percent
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Traverse City, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Traverse City
Flood risk in Traverse City
- NFIP communityCity of Traverse City
- NFIP community number260082
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date06/07/23
The City of Traverse City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 260082 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Grand Traverse County, not Traverse City
Grand Traverse County context, not Traverse City figures
- Establishments in Grand Traverse County3,549
- Covered employment, Grand Traverse County51,962
- Average annual pay, Grand Traverse County$59,257
- Housing units permitted, Grand Traverse County883
Every figure in this section is published for Grand Traverse County as a whole and is not a measurement of Traverse City.
All Grand Traverse County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, 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 →
Common questions
Traverse City questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Traverse City, Michigan?
15,593, in 7,191 households. Traverse City city covers 8.28 square miles of land, which is 1,884 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Traverse City in?
Traverse City lies in more than one. By area it is 95.9 percent in Grand Traverse County, 4.1 percent in Leelanau County. This page sits under Grand Traverse County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Traverse City?
$74,087. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $415,400. Median gross rent is $995 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Traverse City businesses?
210 7(a) approvals totaling $93.5 m since FY2020, across 36 lenders, median approval $150,000, plus 181 504 approvals worth $80.3 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Traverse City, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Traverse City borrowers get paid back?
Of the 56 loans that have reached a final outcome, 55 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 1.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Is Traverse City in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Traverse City appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Traverse City, city of, community 260082, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Traverse City figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Grand Traverse County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Traverse City.
Is zoning published for Traverse City?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.