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Sylvan Lake, MI

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,705
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

52.8
years ∙ half population younger than 52.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
24.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

9.1%
foreign-born population
90.9%Native
9.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Sylvan Lake is a city within Oakland County, Michigan, United States.
Location
City in Oakland County, MI, US
Co-ordinates
DEC42.616764° N, 83.333465° W
DMS42° 37′ 00.35″ N, 83° 20′ 00.47″ W

Population Density & area

3,279/sq mi (1,267/km²)
Total Area
0.851 sq mi (2.203 km²)
Land Area
0.52 sq mi (1.346 km²) · 61.1%
Water Area
0.331 sq mi (0.857 km²) · 38.9%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47.1% male
Male 47.1%
Female 52.9%
males per 100 females
Sylvan Lake 89
Oakland County 97.6
Michigan 98.2

Nativity

9.1%
foreign-born population
90.9%Native
9.1% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Sylvan Lake 9.1%
Oakland County 13.3%
Michigan 7.2%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

52.8
years ∙ half population younger than 52.8, half older
Sylvan Lake
52.8
Oakland County
41.3
Michigan
40.2

Dependency ratio

Low High
50
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Sylvan Lake 50
Oakland County 62.9
Michigan 66.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 11.8% 20.3% 21.2%
Working age (18-64) 66.7% 61.3% 60.2%
Senior (65+) 21.5% 18.4% 18.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 50 62.9 66.3
Child dependency ratio 17.8 33 35.3
Old-age dependency ratio 32.2 29.9 31
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
86.7%
Black
2.3%
Asian
0.6%
Hispanic
7.4%
Other
3%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
24.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Sylvan Lake 24.2%
Oakland County 50.7%
Michigan 45.2%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Sylvan Lake population
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Hispanic or Latino 7.4% 5% 5.9%
Mexican 3.1% 3% 4%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.6% 0.5%
Cuban 1.5% 0.1% 0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino 2.8% 1.4% 1.2%
Not Hispanic or Latino 92.6% 95% 94.1%
One race 90.4% 90.2% 89.6%
White 86.7% 68.2% 72.4%
Black or African American 2.3% 12.7% 13.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8% 0.1% 0.3%
Asian 0.6% 8.5% 3.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.5% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.2% 4.8% 4.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

48.6% family
Family 48.6%
Non family 51.4%
% family households
Sylvan Lake 48.6%
Oakland County 61.9%
Michigan 62.4%

Average household size

1.96
persons per household
Sylvan Lake
1.96
Oakland County
2.39
Michigan
2.42

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Sylvan Lake population
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Total households 872 530,460 4,076,369
Average houshold size 1.96 2.39 2.42
Family households 424 328,091 2,545,621
Average family size 2.73 3.05 3.05
Married couple family 335 257,932 1,878,767
Other families 89 70,159 666,854
Male householder 53 20,961 199,150
Female householder 36 49,198 467,704
Non-family households 448 202,369 1,530,748
One-person households 357 167,224 1,250,418
Male householder 129 75,266 583,425
Senior (65+) living alone 57 21,585 188,594
Female householder 228 91,958 666,993
Senior (65+) living alone 76 47,436 349,637
Other living arrangements 91 35,145 280,330

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

872
housing units
Sylvan Lake 872
Oakland County 561,348
Michigan 4,622,236

Occupancy status

100% occupied
Occupied 100%
Vacant 0%
vacancy rate
Sylvan Lake 0%
Oakland County 5.5%
Michigan 11.8%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

90.7%
Single family houses
Single family houses
90.7%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
9.4%
Mobile homes
0%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1956
Half of houses were built before 1956, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
25.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
43%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
18.4%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
13.3%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.9 6.1 5.9
1–3 rooms 6.2% 10.7% 10.5%
4–6 rooms 38% 45.4% 51.9%
7+ rooms 55.8% 43.9% 37.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 1.4% 1.6%
1 bedroom 6.5% 9.9% 8.9%
2 bedrooms 20.1% 23% 24.6%
3 bedrooms 49.9% 38.8% 43.5%
4+ bedrooms 23.5% 26.9% 21.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1956 1975 1972
Total housing units 872 561,348 4,622,236
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

81.5% owners
Renter-occupied 18.5%
Owner-occupied 81.5%
homeownership rate
Sylvan Lake 81.5%
Oakland County 72.7%
Michigan 73.2%

Average household size

2.06
Owner-occupied
1.48
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Sylvan Lake 2.06
Oakland County 2.57
Michigan 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Total occupied units 872 530,460 4,076,369
Year moved in
2020 or later 13.3% 21.7% 21%
2010 to 2019 42.8% 40.7% 39.5%
2000 to 2009 25% 15.4% 16%
1999 or earlier 18.9% 22.2% 23.4%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 98.8% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.8% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0% 0.4% 0.4%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 1.7% 5.3% 7%
1 vehicle 36.5% 35.3% 34.8%
2 vehicles 47% 40.4% 38.3%
3 or more vehicles 14.8% 19% 19.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas 94.3% 87.6% 83.6%
Electricity 5% 11.1% 12.1%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.2% 0.8%
All other fuels 0% 0.6% 3%
No fuel used 0.6% 0.4% 0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.5% 0.7%
No telephone service available 5.4% 0.5% 0.7%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$391,000
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Sylvan Lake
$391,000
Oakland County
$343,600
Michigan
$231,600

Housing Cost Burden

35.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
35.3%
Owners without a mortgage
7.2%
Renters
49.4%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Property value
Median Value $391,000 $343,600 $231,600
Under $100,000 1.5% 7.1% 16.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 3.8% 12.4% 24.7%
$200,000 - $300,000 18.4% 21.8% 23.4%
$300,000 - $500,000 43.3% 35.9% 24.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 17.6% 19.5% 9.2%
$1,000,000 and more 15.3% 3.4% 1.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 68.1% 64.5% 57.8%
Without a mortgage 31.9% 35.5% 42.2%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $2,229 $1,998 $1,569
Without a mortgage $786 $778 $602
Gross rent
Median rent $1,113 $1,376 $1,129

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

47.8%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Sylvan Lake 47.8%
Oakland County 51%
Michigan 32.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

0.1%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Sylvan Lake 0.1%
Oakland County 5%
Michigan 8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

281
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
0%
K–12
71.9%
College / Undergraduate
20.6%
Graduate / Professional
7.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

51%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Sylvan Lake
51%
Oakland County
41%
Michigan
41.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Total enrolled (age 3+) 281 282,150 2,312,914
Nursery / preschool 0% 7% 5.6%
K–12 71.9% 67.5% 67.9%
Kindergarten 7.5% 5.4% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 9.6% 19.6% 19.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 9.6% 20% 20.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 45.2% 22.5% 22.2%
College or graduate school 28.1% 25.6% 26.5%
College, undergraduate 20.6% 18.2% 21.1%
Graduate, professional school 7.5% 7.4% 5.4%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 51% 41% 41.1%
School type
Public school 69.4% 82.3% 85.2%
Private school 30.6% 17.7% 14.8%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,403
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0.1%
9th-12th, no diploma
0%
HS graduate
13.8%
Some college no degree
24.9%
Associates degree
13.3%
Bachelors degree
25.2%
Graduate or professional degree
22.7%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
0% · 100%
9th-12th, no diploma
—% · —%
HS graduate
69.1% · 30.9%
Some college no degree
36.6% · 63.4%
Associates degree
22% · 78%
Bachelors degree
52.4% · 47.6%
Graduate or professional degree
49.7% · 50.3%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Population (25+) 1,403 920,268 7,008,507
Less than 9th grade 0.1% 1.9% 2.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 0% 3.1% 5.4%
High school diploma or GED 13.8% 17.7% 28%
Some college, no degree 24.9% 18.2% 21.9%
Associate's degree 13.3% 8.2% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 47.8% 51% 32.4%
Bachelor's degree 25.2% 28.8% 19.7%
Graduate or professional 22.7% 22.2% 12.7%
High School or higher 99.9% 95.1% 92.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$66,012
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$37,074
Some college or associates
$60,594
Bachelors degree
$97,050
Graduate or professional degree
$90,690

Poverty Rate

1.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
0%
HS graduate
13.4%
Some college or associates
9.9%
Bachelors degree or higher
1.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Sylvan Lake Oakland County Michigan
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $66,012 $65,923 $50,316
Less than high school graduate $— $32,094 $31,851
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $37,074 $40,704 $37,777
Some college or associate's degree $60,594 $49,592 $44,844
Bachelor's degree $97,050 $79,815 $66,893
Graduate or professional degree $90,690 $102,293 $85,195
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 0% 21.3% 27.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 13.4% 12.5% 15.2%
Some college or associate's degree 9.9% 8.7% 10.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 1.9% 3.5% 4.2%

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