Blue Lake TownshipMI
Home to 2,450 people, the town was settled in 1868.
Is Blue Lake Township a good place to live?
Blue Lake Township’s best subject grade is an A for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Only 50 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on walkability. Blue Lake Township's schools rank ahead of 68% of Michigan towns. On hazard risk, just 92 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. 15% of the land in Blue Lake Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 51 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Manistee National Forest, 1,355 acres with 3.3 miles of trail. Blue Lake Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Blue Lake Township stand out
Where Blue Lake Township beats most towns.
99% of working residents leave Blue Lake Township for work
Where Blue Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Blue Lake Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Blue Lake Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Blue Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blue 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 Blue Lake Township.
Blue Lake Township has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA puts nearly two thirds of Blue Lake Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to strong winds. Compared with 92% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Blue Lake Township stands out in Michigan and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
For half of commuters, work is under 17 miles away. Since 2011, Blue Lake Township has added 32 jobs, to 64 in 2021. The top destinations are Muskegon (17%), Whitehall (11%) and Norton Shores (6%).
| Blue Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Health in Blue Lake Township trails 68% of U.S. towns
Among adults in Blue Lake Township, 43% have obesity. Two figures for adults in the town: 29% have been diagnosed with depression, 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Blue Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Blue Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 42.8% | 36.2% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
More middle-aged adults than Michigan overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Blue Lake Township: 23% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Also worth knowing: its median age is 43.7 years.
| Blue Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Blue Lake Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.5% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Blue Lake Township
In Blue Lake Township, the midsummer high is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15.4% of Blue Lake Township is conserved land
Across 3 parks and preserves: 77 miles of trail. Blue Lake Township’s trail network density is 2.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: 3, covering 1,388 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Manistee National Forest | 3.3 mi | 1,355 |
| 2. Blue Lake County Park | 0.1 mi | 24 |
| 3. Deremo Boat Launch | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Michigan's Adventure and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blue Lake Township. Close and well known come first.
40 mi MuseumJim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
34 mi National forestManistee National Forest
14 mi MuseumUSS LST-39314 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
7 mi Theme parkWildWater AdventurePhoto credits
Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia: Jim Crow Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Manistee National Forest: RomanKahler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · WildWater Adventure: Larry Pieniazek, CC BY 2.5
Everything we know about Blue Lake Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Blue Lake Township
About 2 of every 100 Blue Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Blue Lake Township
Township in Michigan, United States
Blue Lake Township is a civil township of Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,416. One of the largest landowners in the township is the Pathway to Adventure Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which owns Owasippe Scout Reservation. The township is also home to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 604 ft
Blue Lake Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Blue Lake Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lake Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | C |
| Whitehall Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Holton Township | #588 | C− | B+ | — | C | C− |
| Otto Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dalton Township | #476 | C+ | B− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Montague Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Twin Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Blue Lake Township, Whitehall Township and Montague Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Blue Lake Township, Whitehall Township, Holton Township, Dalton Township and Montague Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Otto Township and Twin Lake aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Blue Lake Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Blue Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blue Lake 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.