Oakland County: Michigan's Wealthiest Large County by the Numbers

Oakland County is the second most populous county in Michigan (1,270,426 residents), the largest county by total income in the state, and by most metrics the most economically prosperous large county in Michigan. Its median household income of $92,230 (Census SAIPE 2023) places it second only to Livingston County — but Livingston has a third of Oakland's population. In aggregate economic activity, Oakland is unmatched in the state.

Explore the full picture at Michigan Signals / Oakland County.

Income and Poverty

At $92,230 median household income, Oakland County exceeds the state median by more than $25,000. Its 8.3% poverty rate is the third-lowest in Michigan Signals, behind Livingston (5.6%) and Ottawa (9.0%). These figures reflect a county anchored by corporate headquarters (Ford Motor, General Motors global HQ is nearby in Wayne County, but Oakland hosts dozens of Tier-1 and Tier-2 auto suppliers and tech companies), along with strong healthcare, professional services, and financial sector employment.

The Oakland-Wayne Gap

Oakland and Wayne counties share a border. Their divergence is among the sharpest economic contrasts in Michigan. Wayne County's $57,418 median income is $34,812 — or 38% — lower than Oakland's. Wayne's poverty rate at 20.6% is more than double Oakland's 8.3%. Home values in Oakland ($369,608) are double those in Wayne ($177,187).

This is not an accident of geography. It reflects decades of housing policy, school district boundaries, zoning decisions, and racial economic sorting that concentrated wealth north of 8 Mile Road. The Michigan Signals dashboards let you explore both counties' data side by side: Oakland and Wayne.

Housing

Oakland County home values of $369,608 put it in the upper tier of Michigan Signals counties. The rent index of $1,687/month reflects a market with strong demand from high-income workers unwilling or unable to purchase. Vacancy rates in Oakland are historically low, contributing to sustained price pressure.

Health

Oakland County consistently leads or co-leads the Michigan Signals dataset on health metrics. Obesity at 30.9% is the second-lowest (behind Washtenaw). Smoking at 10.9% is the joint-lowest (tied with Washtenaw). Depression prevalence at 21.5% is the lowest of any Michigan Signals county by a wide margin.

Most striking is the primary care access figure: 125.5 physician office practices per 100,000 residents — nearly double the next-highest county (Genesee at 102.6) and more than four times the lowest (Ottawa at 30.7). Oakland County's concentration of medical professionals reflects its high income, proximity to Detroit-area health systems, and the self-reinforcing effect of wealth on healthcare infrastructure.

Mental health practices at 111.4 per 100k is also the highest in the dataset. The county's mental health infrastructure stands in sharp contrast to Wayne County (51.2 per 100k) just across its southern border.

Data Sources

• Census PEP (2023): Population. Census PEP
• Census SAIPE (2023): Income and poverty. Census SAIPE
• BLS LAUS: Unemployment. BLS LAUS
• Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (April 2026): Housing data. Zillow Research data
• CDC PLACES (2024): Health data. CDC PLACES
• Census CBP (2022): Healthcare provider counts. Census CBP