| Traverse City MSA | |
| Official Name: | Traverse City metropolitan statistical area |
| Settlement Type: | Metropolitan area |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4564 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1691 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 2873 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 153448 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 33.6 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Area Code: | 231 |
| Population Est: | 156371 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
The Traverse City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in Northern Michigan, anchored by the city of Traverse City. This area is commonly referred to as Northwestern Michigan or the Traverse Bay Area, after Grand Traverse Bay. The area consists of the counties of Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau.
As of the 2020 census, the Traverse City metropolitan area had a population of 153,448. Nearly one in three residents of Northern Michigan (with a population of 506,658 in 2020) reside within the Traverse City metropolitan area. Grand Traverse County holds about 62% of the population of the metropolitan area, with a population of 95,238 in 2020.
The area first designated as a micropolitan statistical area in 2003, then promoted to metropolitan statistical area status in 2023.[1] In 2020, the Traverse City micropolitan area was the sixth-largest by population in the United States.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 131,342 people, 51,760 households, and 36,176 families residing within the metropolitan area. The racial makeup of the metropolitan area was 96.15% White, 0.33% African American, 1.43% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
The median income for a household in the metropolitan area was $40,913, and the median income for a family was $46,772. Males had a median income of $33,148 versus $23,026 for females. The per capita income for the metropolitan area was $20,408.
| Grand Traverse County | 464sqmi | |||
| Leelanau County | 347sqmi | |||
| Benzie County | 320sqmi | |||
| Kalkaska County | 560sqmi |
The Traverse City metropolitan area is served by one regional airport, Cherry Capital Airport, located in Grand Traverse County. Other smaller, local airports within the area include:
The Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) is a public transit agency serving Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. The Kalkaska Public Transport Authority (KAT) operates public transit service in Kalkaska County, and the Benzie Bus operates public transit service between Benzie County and Traverse City.[3] [4]