Postal Codes

49685 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 49685 covers Traverse City, Michigan, with a population of about 21,297 and a median household income of $82,639.

Population
21,297393 per square mile
Median age
39.60.9 points above the US average
Median household income
$82,6391.2× the Michigan median
Poverty rate
8.7%3.7 points below the US average
Typical home value
$439,910up 34% in five years
Median rent
$1,3381.2× the Michigan median
Degree or higher
37.7%2.7 points above the US average
Homeownership
80%15 points above the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
360

Where 49685 is

Traverse City, Michigan — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population21,297
Median age39.6
Family households66.2%
Born outside the US2.2%
Speaks a language other than English at home2%
White (non-Hispanic)92.5%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.9%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.8%
Hispanic or Latino2%
Veterans7.2%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$82,639
Income per person$39,698
Poverty rate8.7%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance11.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k5.3%
$10–15k1.6%
$15–20k1.8%
$20–25k1.5%
$25–30k1.6%
$30–35k3.3%
$35–40k3.8%
$40–45k2.8%
$45–50k3.5%
$50–60k7.1%
$60–75k11.5%
$75–100k17.2%
$100–125k11.5%
$125–150k10.8%
$150–200k10.3%
$200k or more6.4%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$309,200
Median gross rent$1,338
Rent as a share of household income29.1%
Owner-occupied80%
Vacant homes11%
Median year built1994

What the homes are

Detached house74.4%
Attached house4.7%
2 to 4 units3.7%
5 to 19 units4.6%
20 or more units3.9%
Mobile home8.8%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$439,910as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 2.5%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 34%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 110.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$439,910$119,941

$119,941 in 2000 to $439,910 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate3.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher37.7%
High school diploma or higher95.3%
Works from home10.8%
Drives to work alone79.5%
Takes public transport0.2%
Commutes 45 minutes or more5.5%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity35.3% 1.9 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes9.9% 2.1 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes13.1% same as the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure33% 1.1 pts below the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health16.4% 3.9 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)5.5% 5.8 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression26.4% 4.5 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity21.9% 3.5 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis28.4% 3.3 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking17.6% 1.6 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication76.5% 1.8 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)9.7% 2 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease6.1% same as the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year79.8% 3.1 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening88.1% 2.2 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability13.3% 1.5 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening72.4% 8.1 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7% same as the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist72% 10.7 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability29.2% 1.5 pts below the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support20.5% 4.3 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity10.7% 6.4 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps9.4% 4.9 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability6.8% same as the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol34.4% 1.8 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity8.9% 4.9 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability7.3% 1.1 pts below the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport6.2% 3 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness31.6% 2.8 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use76.3% same as the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17.1% same as the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability11.8% 2.2 pts below the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)13% 0.5 pts below the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3% 1 pts below the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat6.3% 2.5 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours31.8% 4.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost8.3% 4.7 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability3.8% 1.8 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments360
People employed3,937
Annual payroll$213,588,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 46.6% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Moderate across the 8 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss58.3 out of 100
Community resilience94.3 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Winter weather98.8Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave96.5Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide84.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning71.4Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind65.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire60.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail59.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado43.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding36.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane23.8Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave11.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake3.8Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm2.1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Coastal flooding0.9Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Michigan and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMichiganUnited States
Median household income$82,639$71,149$78,538
Income per person$39,698$39,538$43,289
Poverty rate8.7%13.1%12.4%
Median home value$309,200$217,600$303,400
Median gross rent$1,338$1,084$1,348
Homeownership80%72.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher37.7%31.8%35%
Unemployment rate3.2%5.8%5.2%
Works from home10.8%12%13.5%
Born outside the US2.2%7%13.9%
Median age39.640.138.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationTRAVERSE CITY MUNSON, MI US8.2 km away
Rain in a year36 in
Snow in a year101 in

Average high and low by month

January27.8°F / 15.3°F2.71 in rain, 32.3 in snow
February29.7°F / 14.2°F2.03 in rain, 21.4 in snow
March39.4°F / 20.7°F2.13 in rain, 12.3 in snow
April51.9°F / 30.6°F3.44 in rain, 4.7 in snow
May65.1°F / 42.3°F3.45 in rain
June75°F / 52.7°F2.94 in rain
July79.4°F / 58.4°F2.76 in rain
August77.7°F / 57.3°F3.19 in rain
September70.6°F / 49.7°F3.61 in rain
October57.3°F / 39.1°F4.08 in rain, 0.1 in snow
November43.9°F / 29.7°F3.19 in rain, 5.6 in snow
December33.3°F / 21.6°F2.67 in rain, 24.6 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarket28% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket49% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Traverse City Area Public Schools99.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability23more vulnerable than 23% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status27more vulnerable than 27% of US census tracts
Household characteristics31more vulnerable than 31% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status12more vulnerable than 12% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport34more vulnerable than 34% of US census tracts
Walkability5.5 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

49696 Traverse City, MI0 km away
49686 Traverse City, MI6.9 km away
49610 Acme, MI7.5 km away
49690 Williamsburg, MI11.2 km away
49684 Traverse City, MI15.8 km away
49629 Elk Rapids, MI15.8 km away
49673 Old Mission, MI16.9 km away
49682 Suttons Bay, MI17.4 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Grand Traverse County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area54.19 sq mi
Water area7.09 sq mi
Population density393 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude44.8162, -85.5751

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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