St. Joseph, 2023
Auburn’s story
172 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1854Auburn is settled
Population
2,039
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$235K
+7.5% in a year
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
42.7
years
Jobs based here
480
A commuter town
Is Auburn a good place to live?
Auburn’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and the outdoors; its weakest is a C for cost of living. On walkability, just 114 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. 39% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Auburn, above both the Michigan town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). The biggest park or preserve is Auburn Park, at 46 acres. Auburn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Auburn stand out
Where Auburn beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Auburn for work
Where Auburn’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
480jobs based in Auburn
2%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Auburn grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Auburn is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.6 of 20; 3.7% of households have no carA−Open →HealthHealthsource Saginaw 10.1 miles awayB+Open →Cost of livingCOpen →Jobs & income$72K median household incomeBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 10% conserved landA−Open →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life2.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →USS Edson and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Auburn. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumUSS Edson
9 mi GardenDow Gardens
10 mi MuseumSaginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
11 mi GardenChippewa Nature Center
13 mi TheatreTemple Theatre15 mi Zoo & aquariumChildren's Zoo at Celebration SquareSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS Edson: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Dow Gardens: Chris.Schiemann, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum: John McCullough, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Chippewa Nature Center: Christian Collins, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Temple Theatre: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
_underway_off_Long_Beach,_California_(USA),_circa_in_the_mid-1960s.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Auburn: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburn, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAuburn water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWednesdayTown’s haulerTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAuburn City ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4861148611 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Auburn.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Auburn has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Auburn for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Auburn fell to 480 in 2021, 302 fewer than in 2011. 16% of workers work from home in Auburn, above both Michigan’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (11%).
2%work in town
| Auburn | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 16% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Auburn2%
Midland24%
Bay City10%
Saginaw6%
Saginaw Township5%
10 mi
median commute distance
480
jobs based in Auburn
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
SchoolsB−
On state tests, Auburn’s schools trail 54% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Bay City School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bay City Western High School, with 1,009 students.
46%of MI districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 681 | B− |
| Bay City Western High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,009 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
HealthB+
Residents of Auburn are healthier than 72% of U.S. towns
Auburn beats the Michigan average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Auburn.
72%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Auburn | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
7 better24 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Auburn | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.3% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.9% |
Healthsource Saginaw
10.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Auburn
Auburn has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–32°
Spring35–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall41–60°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA−
Conserved land covers 9.7% of Auburn
0.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Auburn is 0.7 miles per square mile.
9.7%conserved
| Auburn | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.7% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
9.7%
conserved · 65 of 674 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn Park | — | 46 |
| 2. Auburn Recreation Area | — | 27 |
| 3. Auburn Cornfest Grounds | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Auburn
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade C
Homes in Auburn are worth about $235K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Auburn home is worth about $235,000, up 7.5% in a year, 11% below the Michigan typical home.
$235KZillow home value
| Auburn | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,069 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Auburn$235K
Michigan$264K
+7.5%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Who lives here
An age mix much like Michigan’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Michigan average. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
42.7median age · MI 40.2
| Auburn | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
AuburnMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school19%
Some college22%
Associate’s17%
Bachelor’s27%
Graduate12%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Auburn | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.5% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.6% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,000, single groups can be off by several points
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Auburn
19pages on Auburn
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Auburn
Delta CollegeCommunity college · Public · University Center5.3 mi$4,820 in-state tuitionSaginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · University Center8.3 mi$12,930 in-state tuitionNorthwood UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Midland10.3 mi$34,400 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Auburn residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Auburn
City in Michigan, United States
Auburn is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States. The city's population was 2,068 at the 2020 Census. It is included in the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1854
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 617 ft
- ZIP code
- 48611
- Area code
- 989
Questions about Auburn
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Auburn, MI expensive?
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($61,763 across the Bay City, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.