Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,139.
The best of Bay Township’s subject grades are an A+ for civic life and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 25 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on hazard risk. Bay Township's public schools beat 74% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Only 62 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. Bay Township has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Horton Bay General Store and Horton Bay House-Red Fox Inn. Bay Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bay Township beats most towns.
Horton Bay General StoreIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Bay Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,068 in 2000, 1,142 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1958 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Bay Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bay Township.
At 3 of 100, Bay Township’s FEMA risk score is below both Michigan’s towns (25 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Bay Township for work: only 2% work in town. 4.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Bay Township, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2011, Bay Township has added 36 jobs, to 79 in 2021.
| Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 15% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
People 65 and older are 32% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide). Bay Township’s median age is 52.9 years. 42% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
58% women, 42% men
About 74 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.8 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 77% are women (MI 49%).
| Bay Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.5% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.3% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.1% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.1% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Bay Township beats the Michigan average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of Bay Township adults feel lonely.
| Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Bay Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bay Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Bay Township is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, at 208 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Bay Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 2.2 mi | 208 |
| 2. Maplecrest Preserve | 0.8 mi | 21 |
| 3. Church Family Preserve | 0.6 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bay Township
About 2 of every 100 Bay Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Bay Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
3 places in Bay Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Bay Township is a civil township of Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. The population was 1,142 at the 2020 census. Bay Township was established in 1887. The township contains the census-designated place of Horton Bay. The community and surrounding area were featured in several stories by Ernest Hemingway, particularly the Nick Adams stories including "The End of Something".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
