# Bay, Michigan — #2,532 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.48 of 10. FIPS 26017. Population 102,500. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 102,500 people live in Bay, Michigan. It ranks #2,532 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #69 of 83 in Michigan. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.31% of a home's value each year, more than in 86% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 88% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 60% of counties. Life expectancy is about 75.7 years, longer than in 49% of counties. Air quality is better than in 59% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 39), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 73% of counties. On this site's state scores, Michigan gets 6.42 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 3 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.42 |  |
| 2A | state | 3.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.07 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.70 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.96 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 3.45 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.85 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 5.70 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.84 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 4.12 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1811 Gladwin, Michigan — https://libertymoving.org/counties/26051.md
- #2026 Arenac, Michigan — https://libertymoving.org/counties/26011.md
- #2972 Saginaw, Michigan — https://libertymoving.org/counties/26145.md
- #2160 Tuscola, Michigan — https://libertymoving.org/counties/26157.md
- #2262 Midland, Michigan — https://libertymoving.org/counties/26111.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/26017
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=26017
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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