Housing data for Empire, MI
Empire, MI has an estimated 341 residents and 321 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a village in Leelanau County.
20.3% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 341 (±83)
- Housing units
- 321 (±63)
- Households that rent
- 20.3%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +29.7%
What stands out in Empire
Households that rent: 20.3% (±11.8 points) in Empire, higher than in Leelanau County (8.4%).
Households without a vehicle: 15.7% (±11.8 points) in Empire, higher than in Leelanau County (2.8%).
Homes built before 1980: 54.8% (±14.9 points) in Empire, higher than in Leelanau County (38.0%).
Housing in Empire at a glance
- Rent burden: 37.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 20.3% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $83,929 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $456,300 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,950 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,966 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 4.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 71.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 54.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 18.6% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 69.2% heat with utility gas (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Commute and cars: 24.2 minutes average trip to work (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Growth: +29.7% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- How long people stay: 11.1% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 4.1% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Empire against Leelanau County, its state and the nation
| Empire | Leelanau County | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 341 (±83) | 22,734 (exact) | 10,077,761 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 321 (±63) | 15,759 (±58) | 4,622,236 (±795) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 20.3% (±11.8 points) | 8.4% (±1.5 points) | 26.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,228 (±$90) | $1,129 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $83,929 (±$33,750) | $99,422 (±$6,699) | $72,875 (±$293) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $456,300 (±$193,327) | $458,400 (±$13,150) | $231,600 (±$642) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,966 (±$735) | $3,118 (±$179) | $2,904 (±$9) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 54.8% (±14.9 points) | 38.0% (±2.5 points) | 62.1% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.2 minutes (±7.7) | 23.6 minutes (±1.9) | 24.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 92.4% (±7.2 points) | 93.1% (±1.1 points) | 90.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 63.6 years (±3.4) | 55.9 years (±0.4) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Empire covers 1.0 square miles of land, about 331 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Empire has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 263 (±64) | 341 (±83) | +29.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 334 (±56) | 321 (±63) | −3.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $227,400 (±$39,600) | $456,300 (±$193,327) | +100.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $38,977 (±$11,018) | $83,929 (±$33,750) | +115.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,125 (±$86) | $1,950 (±$545) | +73.3% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,442 (±$344) | $2,966 (±$735) | +21.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 19.9% (±7.0 points) | 20.3% (±11.8 points) | +0.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 40.4% (±29.0 points) | 18.6% (±26.2 points) | −21.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Leelanau County
Empire has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Leelanau County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Leelanau County recorded 53 violent and 195 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Empire
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platte Township | 6.1 mi | — | $242,200 | 9.5% |
| Glen Arbor Township | 6.7 mi | $1,073 | $886,200 | 5.0% |
| Lake Township (Benzie County) | 8.1 mi | — | $650,000 | 2.8% |
| Kasson Township | 8.9 mi | $1,509 | $402,600 | 10.8% |
| Almira Township | 9.8 mi | $1,401 | $284,600 | 10.8% |
| Honor | 10 mi | — | $223,800 | 9.5% |
| Benzonia Township | 11 mi | $839 | $327,000 | 9.6% |
| Lake Ann | 12 mi | $1,200 | $338,900 | 17.1% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Empire, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,308 | $1,316 | $1,500 | $1,787 | $1,971 |
HUD income limits for Empire, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25,700 | $42,750 | $68,400 |
| 2 people | $29,350 | $48,850 | $78,200 |
| 3 people | $33,000 | $54,950 | $87,950 |
| 4 people | $36,650 | $61,050 | $97,700 |
| 5 people | $39,600 | $65,950 | $105,550 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $70,850 | $113,350 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $75,750 | $121,150 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $80,600 | $129,000 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Leelanau County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $122,100.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Empire lies inside Empire Township, whose figures include it, so it is ranked only against places like it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Empire
What is the average home value in Empire, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $456,300 (±$193,327) for owner-occupied homes in Empire (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Empire?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Empire, MI is $1,950 (±$545) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Empire?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Empire, MI is $2,966 (±$735) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Empire?
Empire, MI has an estimated 321 (±63) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Empire?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 41.7% of homes in Empire, MI.
How old are most homes in Empire?
54.8% of homes in Empire, MI were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Empire growing?
In Empire, the number of residents went from 263 in 2015–2019 to 341 in 2020–2024 (+29.7%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Empire village, Michigan
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Leelanau County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Leelanau County, MI HUD Metro FMR Area
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Empire village, Michigan (place:25980, in state:26).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .