How is Bear Lake run?
Bear Lake’s village government spent $313,000 on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, about $1,087 per resident.
What stands out about how Bear Lake is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,087 per resident a year, or $2.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,087 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bear Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,087 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,078, and the middle half spent $748–$1,663. Bear Lake spent more than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($92,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bear Lake itself left out).
No trend yet
Bear Lake reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,324 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bear Lake’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Bear Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bear Lake →
Who’s in charge in Bear Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bear Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on bearlakemichigan.org ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 144 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (288).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bear Lake School District
Bear Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Pleasanton Township, Bear Lake Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,725 per pupil, $8,852 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bear Lake’s votes are counted by county
Michigan reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bear Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Manistee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.2%8,748 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.2%6,309 votesOthers: 1.6% (240 votes).
Most votes in Manistee County: Donald J Trump
Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
100% of Bear Lake lies in Manistee County. Every 2024 race in Manistee County is on the county’s page.
Manistee County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bear Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bearlakemichigan.org ↗
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bear Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bear Lake’s government
How much does Bear Lake spend per resident?
About $1,087 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,087 was more than 51% of 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bear Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,324 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bearlakemichigan.org.
Who runs Bear Lake’s government?
See bearlakemichigan.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bear Lake yet.
How did Bear Lake vote in 2024?
Michigan counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bear Lake alone. Manistee County, where 100% of Bear Lake lies, voted Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bear Lake?
2 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $17,559 (about $210,708 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bear Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Jon Bumstead) and State House District 104 (J.R. Roth). The House district also covers 69 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bear Lake’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →