Blair Township Watertower (Michigan), 2018
Blair Township’s story
Blair Township in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2018 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
Explore the history →
Blair TownshipMI
A town of 9,208.
7 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Phoenix-Five · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
9,208
2025 Census estimate · +2.4% since 2020
Median home value
$275K
Census ACS
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
38.0
years
Jobs based here
1,654
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#284 of 697 in MI
Is Blair Township a good place to live?
Blair Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B overall, 284th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 81% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 64% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $72K, and 11% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $275K, 3.4 years of the Traverse City metro’s $81K median household income. Blair Township’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 43 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
What makes Blair Township stand out
Where Blair Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Blair Township for work
Where Blair Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,654jobs based in Blair Township
4%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Blair Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Blair Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 6% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listA−Open →SchoolsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.6 of 20; 5.3% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthMunson Medical Center 9.2 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & incomeC+Open →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Blair Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blair Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBlair Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offAmerican Waste, 5 miOpenStreetMap
SchoolsTraverse City Area Public SchoolsKingsley Area Schools2 districts serve Blair Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereBlair Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49685, 49637, 49696, 4964949685 64% · 49637 19% · 49696 16% · 49649 2%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 Blair Township.
Blair Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
OutdoorsA−
Blair Township has set aside 5% of its land for conservation
39 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve, at 118 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
#133for trails in MI
5%
conserved · 1,137 of 22,865 acres
39 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 21.3 mi | 3,896 |
| 2. Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve | 3 mi | 118 |
| 3. Optimist Youth Foundation Cabin Property | 1.5 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA−
For schools, Blair Township earns an A−
Its public schools are run by the Traverse City Area Public Schools. Its one school is below.
81%of MI districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blair Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 202 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Blair Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 2012, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Blair Township.
6risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingWinter weather
7
paid flood claims since 2012
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Blair Township has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here grew from 425 in 2011 to 1,654.
Most working residents leave Blair Township for work: only 4% work in town. At 19 minutes, Blair Township’s average trip to work is below both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Blair Township grew to 1,654 in 2021, 1,229 more than in 2011.
4%work in town
| Blair Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Blair Township4%
Traverse City36%
Garfield Township18%
Green Lake Township4%
East Bay Township3%
8 mi
median commute distance
1,654
jobs based in Blair Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Blair Township
The Traverse City Munson weather station, 9 miles away, records that 101 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Blair Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Blair Township is 81°F.
101″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–31°
Spring31–54°
Summer55–78°
Fall39–57°
Oct 16
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+2.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
For health, Blair Township earns a B
Against the 10,642 U.S. towns with household incomes like Blair Township’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Blair Township. Blair Township beats the Michigan average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 18% of adults binge drink in Blair Township.
64%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Blair Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
7 better25 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Blair Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.7% | 8.7% |
Munson Medical Center
9.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
67th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Younger than Michigan overall
People 65 and older are 11% of residents (19% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (38% statewide). 24% of Blair Township residents are under 18. Blair Township has grown 2.4% since 2020, to 9,208 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
38median age · MI 40.2
| Blair Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 26% | 29% |
Blair TownshipMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school29%
Some college29%
Associate’s13%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Blair Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.7% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blair Township
18pages on Blair Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Blair Township
Northwestern Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Traverse City9.5 mi$5,860 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Blair Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Blair Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Blair Township ( BLAYR) is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 8,994, an increase from 8,209 at the 2010 census. The township lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Traverse City, the largest city in Northern Michigan. Because of this proximity, much of the north of Blair Township is developed, especially within the township-administered communities of Chums Corner and Grawn, while much of the south of the township is rural in nature. Blair Township is the location of Turtle Creek Stadium, the home stadium for the Traverse City Pit Spitters, a collegiate summer baseball team.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 892 ft
Blair Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Blair Township.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Garfield Township (B+) is closest.
Paradise TownshipGarfield TownshipEast Bay TownshipGreen Lake TownshipChums CornerMayfield TownshipGrawnBlair Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blair Township | #284 | B | B− | — | A− | B |
| Paradise Township | #204 | B+ | B+ | — | A | B− |
| Garfield Township | #258 | B+ | C− | — | A− | B+ |
| East Bay Township | #137 | A− | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Green Lake Township | #255 | B+ | B | — | A− | B− |
| Chums Corner | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mayfield Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C+ |
| Grawn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Mayfield Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Blair Township, Paradise Township, Garfield Township, East Bay Township, Green Lake Township and Mayfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Chums Corner and Grawn aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Blair Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Blair Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blair Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Blair Township grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #284 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Blair Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.