Bear Lake TownshipMI
A town of 699.
Is Bear Lake Township a good place to live?
12% of residents are under 18 in Bear Lake Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. Bear Lake Township’s trail network density is 3.1 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Bear Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
699 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Bear Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bear Lake 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bear Lake Township.
Very low risk in Bear Lake Township, with inland flooding at the top
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Bear Lake Township comes to 12 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 52% come from inland flooding and 28% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bear Lake Township has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
4.3% of Bear Lake Township residents live below the poverty line. Just 1% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: the town had 44 jobs in 2021, up 30 from 2011. For half of commuters, work is under 31 miles away.
| Bear Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Bear Lake Township’s year
In July, afternoons reach 80°; in January, nights fall to 12°, and about 88 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Bear Lake Township is
Among adults in Bear Lake Township, 41% have high blood pressure. For adults here, the share who report frequent physical distress is 17%.
| Bear Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bear Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.5% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.2% of the land in Bear Lake Township is protected from building
Trails total 223 miles in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 138.1 mi | 23,439 |
| 2. Cub Lake Public Access | — | 1 |
| 3. Bear Lake Public Access | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Bear Lake Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bear Lake Township
About 3 of every 100 Bear Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
99% of working residents leave Bear Lake Township for work
Where Bear Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Bear Lake Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Bear Lake Township is a civil township of Kalkaska County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 668.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 72 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,217 ft
Questions about Bear Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bear Lake Township, MI a good place to live?
Bear Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.