Oakland County vs Washtenaw County
A side-by-side comparison of Oakland County and Washtenaw County: population, income, housing, and more.
Oakland County and Washtenaw County are counties in Michigan. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.
Oakland County has the higher population (1,272,294 vs 368,394 in Washtenaw County). Oakland County has the higher median household income ($95,296 vs $87,156 in Washtenaw County). Washtenaw County has the higher median home value ($353,000 vs $320,400 in Oakland County).
Population, income & housing
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,272,294 | 368,394 |
| Median age | 41.2 yrs | 34.8 yrs |
| Median household income | $95,296 | $87,156 |
| Median home value | $320,400 | $353,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,319 | $1,400 |
| Housing units | 557,978 | 158,115 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.3% | 61.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 50.2% | 58.1% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.4% |
Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,253,185 → 1,272,294 (+1.5%) | 367,000 → 368,394 (+0.4%) |
| Median household income | $79,698 → $95,296 (+19.6%) | $72,586 → $87,156 (+20.1%) |
| Median home value | $242,700 → $320,400 (+32.0%) | $263,600 → $353,000 (+33.9%) |
| Median gross rent | $1,080 → $1,319 (+22.1%) | $1,114 → $1,400 (+25.7%) |
Oakland County
1,253,1851,272,294
$79,698$95,296
$242,700$320,400
$1,080$1,319
Washtenaw County
367,000368,394
$72,586$87,156
$263,600$353,000
$1,114$1,400
Age & race/ethnicity
Age distribution (share)
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| 5 to 17 | 15.3% | 13.7% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 17.6% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 14.2% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 11.9% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 11.3% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.2% | 11.3% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 9.2% |
| 75 and over | 7.2% | 6.1% |
Race & ethnicity (share)
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 69.2% | 67.9% |
| Black or African American | 12.9% | 11.4% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 4.3% | 5.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.9% | 5.6% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
Share of adults 25+
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| High school graduate | 17.8% | 14.2% |
| Some college or associate's | 26.9% | 23.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 28.4% | 27.1% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 21.8% | 31.0% |
Commute to work
How workers get to work (share)
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 73.4% | 61.9% |
| Carpooled | 6.1% | 6.3% |
| Public transit | 0.3% | 3.8% |
| Walked | 1.1% | 5.8% |
| Bicycle | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| Worked from home | 18.0% | 20.3% |
| Other means | 0.9% | 0.8% |
Housing
Units in structure (share)
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 67.8% | 57.0% |
| 1-unit, attached | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| 2 to 4 units | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 5 to 19 units | 10.8% | 16.8% |
| 20 or more units | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| Mobile home & other | 2.8% | 3.8% |
Poverty & households
| Oakland County | Washtenaw County | |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 7.7% | 13.8% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.34 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 26 | 23 |
| Median year structure built | 1975 | 1978 |
Full profiles
2Related rankings
21- Largest by population — counties in Michigan
- Most densely populated — counties in Michigan
- Highest median household income — counties in Michigan
- Highest median home value — counties in Michigan
- Most affordable home values — counties in Michigan
- Highest median gross rent — counties in Michigan
- Cheapest median gross rent — counties in Michigan
- Oldest by median age — counties in Michigan
- Youngest by median age — counties in Michigan
- Most college-educated — counties in Michigan
- Highest poverty rate — counties in Michigan
- Lowest poverty rate — counties in Michigan
- Highest homeownership rate — counties in Michigan
- Lowest homeownership rate — counties in Michigan
- Longest commutes — counties in Michigan
- Shortest commutes — counties in Michigan
- Largest households — counties in Michigan
- Newest housing — counties in Michigan
- Oldest housing — counties in Michigan
- Fastest-growing (2019–2023) — counties in Michigan
- Fastest-shrinking (2019–2023) — counties in Michigan