49816 ZIP Code — Chatham, MI

Alger County, Michigan

ZIP code 49816 is located in Chatham, Michigan, within Alger County. It covers approximately 57.29 square miles and serves a population of 768 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 906.

About ZIP code 49816

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $171,500. Owner-occupancy is high at 95%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $67,303. The poverty rate of 4% is below the national average. 53% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is production, transportation, and material moving, with manufacturing as the leading industry. The average commute of 28 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 23% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (22%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include disability rates above the national average at 25%.

Overall, ZIP code 49816 reflects a community defined by high homeownership and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

768

population

57.29

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

49816 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 49816

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 49816. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Chatham	Acceptable
Chatham	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

49891 Trenary (8 mi) 49806 Au Train (10.6 mi) 49895 Wetmore (12 mi) 49862 Munising (15.6 mi) 49822 Deerton (15.8 mi) 49885 Skandia (16.1 mi) 49880 Rock (19.9 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	768
Population density	13 / sq mi
State FIPS	26
County FIPS	003

Geography
Land area	57.29 sq mi
Water area	0.98 sq mi
Latitude	46.2533
Longitude	-86.8556
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	906

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	40.5%	54.5%	42.6%
$50k – $100k	51.3%	33.2%	31.1%
$100k – $200k	7.5%	11.2%	20.6%
Over $200k	0.7%	1.2%	5.7%

Demographics & statistics

768

Population

People per sq mi

48.0

Median age

$67,303

Median household income

$29,994

Per capita income

$171,500

Median home value

$656

Median monthly rent

94.8%

Home ownership

4.2%

Poverty rate

1.9%

Unemployment

417

Housing units

23.0%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

Under 5

5–9

10–14

15–19

20–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

55–59

60–64

65–74

75–84

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	155	20.2%
18 and over	613	79.8%
65 and over	227	29.6%
Median age	48.0 years

Race & ethnicity

White 82.9%

Two or more races 8.5%

Asian 7.9%

Hispanic or Latino 0.6%

Group	Count	%
White	641	82.9%
Two or more races	66	8.5%
Asian	61	7.9%
Hispanic or Latino	5	0.6%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	40.5%	54.5%	42.6%
$50k – $100k	51.3%	33.2%	31.1%
$100k – $200k	7.5%	11.2%	20.6%
Over $200k	0.7%	1.2%	5.7%

Under $10k 4.6%

$10k–$15k 3.9%

$15k–$25k 2.6%

$25k–$35k 8.9%

$35k–$50k 6.6%

$50k–$75k 31.1%

$75k–$100k 20.3%

$100k–$150k 16.4%

$150k–$200k 3.9%

$200k+ 1.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.6%
$10k–$15k	3.9%
$15k–$25k	2.6%
$25k–$35k	8.9%
$35k–$50k	6.6%
$50k–$75k	31.1%
$75k–$100k	20.3%
$100k–$150k	16.4%
$150k–$200k	3.9%
$200k+	1.6%
Median income	$67,303

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 4.2%

$50k–$100k 19.4%

$100k–$150k 17.0%

$150k–$200k 19.7%

$200k–$300k 23.9%

$300k–$500k 12.1%

$500k–$1M 3.8%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$171,500
Median rent / month	$656
Owner occupied	94.8%
Renter occupied	5.2%
Vacant	29.6%
Single-family detached	91.0%
Large apartment buildings	1.2%
Mobile homes	5.8%
Median rooms	5.3
Avg household size (owned)	2.57

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	0.5%
2000–2009	9.2%
1990–1999	12.9%
1980–1989	4.6%
1970–1979	22.2%
1960–1969	10.6%
1950–1959	7.6%
1940–1949	10.6%
1939 or earlier	21.7%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.4%
1 bedroom	17.1%
2 bedrooms	26.8%
3 bedrooms	37.4%
4 bedrooms	11.8%
5+ bedrooms	2.5%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	2.3%
1 vehicle	15.4%
2 vehicles	49.8%
3 or more	32.5%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	12.5%
Electricity	5.9%
Propane / LP gas	42.6%
Fuel oil	10.5%
Wood	28.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	201	65.9%
Cohabiting couple	35	11.5%
Male householder, no spouse	40	13.1%
Female householder, no spouse	29	9.5%
Households with children under 18	72	23.6%
Households with seniors (65+)	150	49.2%
Average household size	2.50

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	24.7%	24.5%
Married	64.8%	63.3%
Separated	0.0%	0.0%
Widowed	3.3%	9.9%
Divorced	7.2%	2.4%

Education

Less than 9th grade 0.4%

Some HS, no diploma 4.4%

HS graduate 40.4%

Some college, no degree 18.9%

Associate's degree 13.0%

Bachelor's degree 18.7%

Graduate / professional 4.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	95.2%
Bachelor's or higher	23.0%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	27	18.2%
Kindergarten	0	0.0%
Elementary school	68	45.9%
High school	43	29.1%
College / grad school	10	6.8%

Employment

Industry of employment

Manufacturing 27.7%

Agriculture & mining 15.4%

Education & healthcare 13.5%

Finance & real estate 11.9%

Other services 10.0%

Public administration 6.1%

Professional & management 3.9%

Construction 2.6%

Information 2.6%

Wholesale trade 1.9%

Transportation & utilities 1.9%

Retail trade 1.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 1.3%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	23.2%
Service	10.3%
Sales & office	21.9%
Natural resources & construction	18.6%
Production & transportation	26.0%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	77.8%
Government	15.1%
Self-employed	7.1%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	76.2%
Carpool	3.9%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	1.8%
Work from home	16.7%
Other means	1.4%
Avg commute (minutes)	27.6

Poverty

All people 4.2%

Under 18 years 0.0%

18 and over 5.2%

Married-couple families 0.5%

Female-led households 0.0%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	53.4%
Retirement income	44.3%
Supplemental Security	2.6%
Cash public assistance	1.6%
Food stamps / SNAP	3.3%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	39.8%
High blood pressure	36.9%
High cholesterol	37.5%
Diabetes	12.0%
Heart disease	7.7%
Stroke	3.5%
Asthma	10.9%
Arthritis	33.1%
Kidney disease	3.2%
Pulmonary disease	9.0%
Cancer	7.7%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.8%
Binge drinking	18.1%
No physical activity	22.1%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	33.3%
Depression	21.7%
Fair or poor health	15.9%
Poor mental health	15.9%
Poor physical health	12.1%
No health insurance	9.3%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.5%
Visited dentist	68.6%
Cholesterol screening	92.6%
Teeth loss	13.4%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	58	9.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	24.9%
Under 18	39.4%
18–64 years	9.3%
65 and over	41.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	85.2%
Public insurance	44.5%
No insurance	1.0%
Uninsured under 19	0.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	734	95.6%
Spanish	2	0.3%
Other Indo-European	2	0.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	701	91.3%
Born in same state	701	91.3%
Born in different state	560	72.9%
Foreign born	0	0.0%
Naturalized citizen	67	8.7%
Not a US citizen	67	100.0%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	86	11.2%
French	52	6.8%
Arab	51	6.6%
Irish	17	2.2%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	8	1%
German	7	0.9%
English	6	0.8%
Norwegian	3	0.4%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	39.7%
Internet access	93.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 49816

What city is ZIP code 49816 in?

ZIP code 49816 is primarily assigned to Chatham, Michigan.

What county is ZIP code 49816 in?

ZIP code 49816 falls within Alger County, Michigan.

Is ZIP code 49816 mostly owner-occupied?

95% of occupied units in ZIP code 49816 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

Does ZIP code 49816 have an older population?

30% of residents in ZIP code 49816 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 49816 have a large retiree population?

53% of households in ZIP code 49816 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

Does ZIP code 49816 have a large veteran population?

10% of civilians in ZIP code 49816 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 49816 in?

ZIP code 49816 observes the EST timezone.