Church. Baraga, Michigan, 1941
Baraga’s story
183 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,185 in 1900, 1,883 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1941 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
- 1843Baraga is settled
BaragaMI
A town of 1,746, settled in 1843.
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,746
2025 Census estimate · −8.3% since 2020
Typical home
$171K
+14% in a year
Household income
$44K
median
Median age
37.0
years
Jobs based here
1,560
A job hub
Is Baraga a good place to live?
The best of Baraga’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Baraga’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, below both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). On incomes, just 50 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country. The biggest park or preserve is Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit, at 63 acres. Baraga has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Baraga stand out
Where Baraga beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here1,560
Residents who work464
Work
3.4 jobs for every working resident
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 98% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021.
Typical home value
Baraga$171K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingA
3.1 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 91% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Baraga5.2
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA
68% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,366 people come to Baraga for work
Where Baraga’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,560jobs based in Baraga
42%of working residents work in town
3 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Baraga grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Baraga is from typical.
Jobs & income$44K median household incomeD−Open →Cost of livingAOpen →HealthBaraga County Memorial Hospital 4.5 miles awayDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listA−Open →SchoolsBehind 69% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.1 of 20; 19.3% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailB+Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life5.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.0; 6% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Baraga: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Baraga, and how to reach them.
PowerVillage of Baraga16.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBaraga water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Baraga’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBaraga Township ClerkBaraga Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP code4990849908 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Baraga.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
A larger share of working residents in Baraga work locally than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
42% of working residents work locally in Baraga, against 5.9% in Michigan’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Baraga fell to 1,560 in 2021, 262 fewer than in 2011. 17% of Baraga residents live below the poverty line.
42%work in town
| Baraga | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 42% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Baraga42%
Baraga Township44%
L'Anse Township12%
Houghton3%
Hancock3%
3 mi
median commute distance
1,560
jobs based in Baraga
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
HealthD
Baraga stands out in Michigan and nationally, with more of its adults who sleep under 7 hours
44% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Baraga. Baraga beats the Michigan average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Baraga.
11%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Baraga | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 34% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
3 better14 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Baraga | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 24.9% | 29.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17% | 8.7% |
Baraga County Memorial Hospital
4.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Baraga is valued at about $171K
The typical Baraga home is worth about $171,000, up 14% in a year, 35% below the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Baraga is $495 a month.
$171KZillow home value
| Baraga | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $495 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Baraga$171K
Michigan$264K
+14%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Cold waves leads a low hazard risk in Baraga
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingHail
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Baraga
Baraga has cold, snowy winters and cool summers. Baraga’s July high is 76°F.
208″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–27°
Spring29–49°
Summer53–74°
Fall38–54°
Sep 22
typical first frost
May 31
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB+
Baraga has set aside 4% of its land for conservation
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
4%conserved
| Baraga | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
4%
conserved · 62 of 1,542 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Copper Country State Forest- Baraga Unit | 0.5 mi | 63 |
| 2. Baraga Marina Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Baraga
18pages on Baraga
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Baraga
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · LAnse2.4 mi$5,000 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Baraga residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Baraga
Village in Michigan, United States
Baraga ( BAIR-ə-gə) is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,883 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga. The village is located in Baraga Township on the Keweenaw Bay on Lake Superior at the junction of US 41 and M-38. It is entirely within the boundaries of the L'Anse Indian Reservation. The Baraga ZIP code 49908 also serves areas of northern and northwestern Baraga Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1843
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 630 ft
- ZIP code
- 49908
Questions about Baraga
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Baraga, MI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.