Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bay City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $126K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Bay City metro’s $62K median household income. It grades C− overall, 586th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 162 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 84% of U.S. towns, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include City Hall and Bay City Masonic Temple. Bay City’s violent crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents, where Michigan’s towns sit at 1.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Among 322 Michigan towns, just 9 have a lower typical home value than Bay City.
Where Bay City beats most towns.
Tromble House
Census counts: 1,583 in 1860, a peak of 53,604 in 1960, 32,661 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1916 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Bay City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bay City. Close and well known come first.
2 mi MuseumUSS Edson
2 mi MuseumSaginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
18 mi GardenDow Gardens
20 mi GardenChippewa Nature Center
11 mi TheatreTemple Theatre13 mi Zoo & aquariumChildren's Zoo at Celebration SquareUSS Edson: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum: John McCullough, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Dow Gardens: Chris.Schiemann, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chippewa Nature Center: Christian Collins, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Temple Theatre: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bay City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bay City.
Bay City is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Saginaw and other neighbors.
10 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. Bay City’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Veterans Memorial Park, 51 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
| Bay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Memorial Park | 1.3 mi | 51 |
| 2. Ed Golson Outdoor Educational Park | 1 mi | 35 |
| 3. Bay County Fairground | 0.6 mi | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Bay City School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handy Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 598 | C |
| Bay City Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 921 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
At 2 years of the Bay City metro’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $126K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Essexville is next at $164K.
The median rent in Bay City is $766 a month. Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. The typical Bay City home is worth about $126,000, up 5.2% in a year, 52% below the Michigan typical home.
| Bay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $766 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 827 to 661 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Bay City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 5,577 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bay City’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Bay City. Bay City beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bay City.
| Bay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bay City | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.4% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.2% | 6.9% |
| More smokers | 18.9% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bay City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bay City has about as many jobs (11,222) as working residents, but only 2,339 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 14,033 in 2011 to 11,222.
About one in 5 of Bay City’s working residents works in town. 19% of Bay City residents live below the poverty line. Since 2011, Bay City has lost 2,811 jobs, to 11,222 in 2021.
| Bay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 57 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bay City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bay City
About 5 of every 100 Bay City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
14 places in Bay City on the National Register of Historic Places.
46 notable people were born in Bay City.
City in Michigan, United States
Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the principal city of the Bay City metropolitan area, which is coterminous with Bay County as part of the larger Greater Tri-Cities region of Central Michigan. Several historic bridges cross the Saginaw River in Bay City, including Liberty Bridge, Veterans Memorial Bridge, Independence Bridge, and Lafayette Avenue Bridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Bay City.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Hampton Township (C) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City | #586 | C− | A− | C− | B− | C− |
| Bangor Township | #531 | C | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Portsmouth Township | #460 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C− |
| Frankenlust Township | #496 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | B− |
| Hampton Township | #548 | C | B− | B− | B− | C+ |
| Essexville | #64 | A | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Monitor Township | #504 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
Bangor Township, Portsmouth Township, Frankenlust Township, Essexville and Monitor Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bay City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bay City grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #586 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
46 notable people were born here, including Madonna and Betsy Brandt.
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