Wayland, MI

City in Allegan County, MI, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

4,457

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

Median Age

34.3

years ∙ half population younger than 34.3, half older

Diversity Index

20.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.1%

foreign-born population

96.9%Native

3.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Wayland is a city within Allegan County, Michigan, United States.

Location

City in Allegan County, MI, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.673081° N, 85.641727° W

DMS42° 40′ 23.09″ N, 85° 38′ 30.22″ W

Population Density & area

1,506/sq mi (581.1/km²)

Total Area

3.01 sq mi (7.79 km²)

Land Area

2.96 sq mi (7.67 km²) · 98.5%

Water Area

0.05 sq mi (0.12 km²) · 1.5%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.3% male

Male 50.3%

Female 49.7%

males per 100 females

Wayland 101.1

Allegan County 101.1

Michigan 98.2

Nativity

3.1%

foreign-born population

96.9%Native

3.1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Wayland 3.1%

Allegan County 3.5%

Michigan 7.2%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

34.3

years ∙ half population younger than 34.3, half older

Wayland

34.3

Allegan County

Michigan

40.2

Dependency ratio

70.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Wayland 70.3

Allegan County 71.4

Michigan 66.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	26.8%	23.2%	21.2%
Working age (18-64)	58.7%	58.4%	60.2%
Senior (65+)	14.5%	18.4%	18.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	70.3	71.4	66.3
Child dependency ratio	45.6	39.8	35.3
Old-age dependency ratio	24.7	31.6	31

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

88.8%

Black

2.5%

Asian

1.4%

Hispanic

5.4%

Other

1.9%

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

20.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Wayland 20.7%

Allegan County 27.5%

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 Wayland population

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Hispanic or Latino	5.4%	8.1%	5.9%
Mexican	3%	6.7%	4%
Puerto Rican	0.2%	0.3%	0.5%
Cuban	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2%	1%	1.2%
Not Hispanic or Latino	94.6%	91.9%	94.1%
One race	92.7%	87.2%	89.6%
White	88.8%	84.6%	72.4%
Black or African American	2.5%	1.2%	13.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.2%	0.3%
Asian	1.4%	0.7%	3.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Some Other Race	0%	0.5%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	1.9%	4.7%	4.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

66.7% family

Family 66.7%

Non family 33.3%

% family households

Wayland 66.7%

Allegan County 72.8%

Michigan 62.4%

Average household size

2.63

persons per household

Wayland

2.63

Allegan County

2.64

Michigan

2.42

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Wayland population

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Total households	1,661	45,522	4,076,369
Average houshold size	2.63	2.64	2.42
Family households	1,108	33,119	2,545,621
Average family size	3.03	3.08	3.05
Married couple family	664	26,368	1,878,767
Other families	444	6,751	666,854
Male householder	151	2,498	199,150
Female householder	293	4,253	467,704
Non-family households	553	12,403	1,530,748
One-person households	317	9,836	1,250,418
Male householder	180	4,764	583,425
Senior (65+) living alone	30	1,732	188,594
Female householder	137	5,072	666,993
Senior (65+) living alone	108	2,996	349,637
Other living arrangements	236	2,567	280,330

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,792

housing units

Wayland 1,792

Allegan County 52,636

Michigan 4,622,236

Occupancy status

92.7% occupied

Occupied 92.7%

Vacant 7.3%

vacancy rate

Wayland 7.3%

Allegan County 13.5%

Michigan 11.8%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

62.9%

Single family houses

62.9%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

23.5%

Mobile homes

13.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1984

Half of houses were built before 1984, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

19.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

22%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

36.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

21.4%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.5	6.2	5.9
1–3 rooms	10.7%	5.6%	10.5%
4–6 rooms	56.5%	49.9%	51.9%
7+ rooms	32.7%	44.6%	37.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.2%	0.4%	1.6%
1 bedroom	5.5%	4.6%	8.9%
2 bedrooms	29.5%	20.8%	24.6%
3 bedrooms	42.5%	46.7%	43.5%
4+ bedrooms	20.4%	27.5%	21.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1984	1982	1972
Total housing units	1,792	52,636	4,622,236

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

71.2% owners

Renter-occupied 28.8%

Owner-occupied 71.2%

homeownership rate

Wayland 71.2%

Allegan County 87.4%

Michigan 73.2%

Average household size

2.84

Owner-occupied

2.13

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Wayland 2.84

Allegan County 2.68

Michigan 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Total occupied units	1,661	45,522	4,076,369
Year moved in
2020 or later	23.8%	15.8%	21%
2010 to 2019	45.4%	40.5%	39.5%
2000 to 2009	17.3%	18.1%	16%
1999 or earlier	13.5%	25.7%	23.4%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.2%	97.7%	98.4%
1.01 to 1.50	0.8%	2%	1.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	0.8%	2.5%	7%
1 vehicle	40.4%	27.6%	34.8%
2 vehicles	44.9%	42.8%	38.3%
3 or more vehicles	13.9%	27.2%	19.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas	88.5%	81.8%	83.6%
Electricity	9.8%	5.5%	12.1%
Solar	0%	0.2%	0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	2.7%	0.8%
All other fuels	0%	9.3%	3%
No fuel used	1.6%	0.5%	0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.2%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.5%	0.7%
No telephone service available	0%	0.6%	0.7%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$207,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Wayland

$207,400

Allegan County

$267,100

Michigan

$231,600

Housing Cost Burden

20.9%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

20.9%

Owners without a mortgage

3.1%

Renters

44.3%

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

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Property value
Median Value	$207,400	$267,100	$231,600
Under $100,000	20.9%	12.4%	16.8%
$100,000 - $200,000	25.4%	19.8%	24.7%
$200,000 - $300,000	40.9%	25.8%	23.4%
$300,000 - $500,000	12.3%	29.8%	24.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	0.5%	9.7%	9.2%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	2.5%	1.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	67.5%	56.8%	57.8%
Without a mortgage	32.5%	43.2%	42.2%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,398	$1,523	$1,569
Without a mortgage	$617	$575	$602
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,160	$1,100	$1,129

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

25.5%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Wayland 25.5%

Allegan County 27.1%

Michigan 32.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.9%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Wayland 4.9%

Allegan County 7.6%

Michigan 8%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

992

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

86.2%

College / Undergraduate

6.9%

Graduate / Professional

0.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

7.3%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Wayland

7.3%

Allegan County

19%

Michigan

41.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Total enrolled (age 3+)	992	26,223	2,312,914
Nursery / preschool	6%	5.8%	5.6%
K–12	86.2%	81.3%	67.9%
Kindergarten	11.2%	7%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	28.9%	21.9%	19.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	24%	26.4%	20.8%
High School: Grades 9–12	22.1%	26%	22.2%
College or graduate school	7.8%	12.9%	26.5%
College, undergraduate	6.9%	10.7%	21.1%
Graduate, professional school	0.9%	2.2%	5.4%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	7.3%	19%	41.1%
School type
Public school	92.8%	84.9%	85.2%
Private school	7.2%	15.1%	14.8%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,773

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

3.3%

HS graduate

38.8%

Some college no degree

19.4%

Associates degree

11.4%

Bachelors degree

21%

Graduate or professional degree

4.6%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

11.1% · 88.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

49.5% · 50.5%

HS graduate

56.8% · 43.2%

Some college no degree

51.3% · 48.7%

Associates degree

28.9% · 71.1%

Bachelors degree

61.3% · 38.7%

Graduate or professional degree

56.7% · 43.3%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Population (25+)	2,773	84,097	7,008,507
Less than 9th grade	1.6%	2.4%	2.6%
9th–12th, no diploma	3.3%	5.2%	5.4%
High school diploma or GED	38.8%	35.6%	28%
Some college, no degree	19.4%	20.9%	21.9%
Associate's degree	11.4%	8.7%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.5%	27.1%	32.4%
Bachelor's degree	21%	18.1%	19.7%
Graduate or professional	4.6%	9.1%	12.7%
High School or higher	95.1%	92.4%	92.1%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$51,566

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$44,802

Some college or associates

$50,344

Bachelors degree

$75,375

Graduate or professional degree

$66,429

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

35.3%

HS graduate

10.9%

Some college or associates

6.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Wayland	Allegan County	Michigan
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$51,566	$51,065	$50,316
Less than high school graduate	$—	$40,581	$31,851
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$44,802	$43,440	$37,777
Some college or associate's degree	$50,344	$47,809	$44,844
Bachelor's degree	$75,375	$66,444	$66,893
Graduate or professional degree	$66,429	$77,610	$85,195
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	35.3%	20.3%	27.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	10.9%	9.7%	15.2%
Some college or associate's degree	6.1%	6.1%	10.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	2.1%	4.2%

Insights for Wayland, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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