Bay City is a medium-sized city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 32,268 people and 18 associated neighborhoods, Bay City is the 41st largest community in Michigan. Bay City has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

The citizens of Bay City are slightly less educated than the national average of 21.84% for the average city or town: 16.31% of adults in Bay City have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree

The per capita income in Bay City in 2022 was $27,970, which is lower middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $111,880 for a family of four. However, Bay City contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Bay City is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Bay City home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Bay City residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Bay City also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.63% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Bay City include German, Polish, Irish, French, and English.

The most common language spoken in Bay City is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.