Carp Lake, Mich, 1911
Carp Lake Township’s story
Carp Lake Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
Explore the history →
Carp Lake TownshipMI
A town in Michigan, home to 583 people.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Gbohm · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
583
2025 Census estimate · +0.5% since 2020
Median home value
$67K
Census ACS
Household income
$45K
median
Median age
63.6
years
Jobs based here
57
A commuter town
Is Carp Lake Township a good place to live?
Carp Lake Township’s median age is 63.6 years, where Michigan’s towns sit at 42.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Only 7 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower January low than Carp Lake Township. 51% of the land in Carp Lake Township is conserved, where Michigan’s towns sit at 4.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, 49,649 acres with 87.1 miles of trail. Carp Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
583 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Bergland TownshipOntonagon TownshipWakefield TownshipMatchwood TownshipCarp Lake Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Carp Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carp Lake Township, and how to reach them.
PowerUpper Michigan Energy Resources17.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers82% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Carp Lake Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereCarp Lake Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49971, 4995349971 58% · 49953 41%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 Carp Lake Township.
Outdoors
Conserved land covers nearly a third of Carp Lake Township
192 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails for Carp Lake Township comes to 0.9 miles per square mile.
51.2%conserved
51.2%
conserved · 73,872 of 144,244 acres
192 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park | 87.1 mi | 49,649 |
| 2. Ottawa National Forest - Bergland Ranger District | 16.3 mi | 22,837 |
| 3. Gogebic County Forest | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
Most of Carp Lake Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
The share of working residents in Carp Lake Township who work locally: 2.2%. Employers in Carp Lake Township shed 25 jobs between 2011 and 2021, to 57. Its median household income is $45,000. The top destinations are Ontonagon Township (17%), McMillan Township (9%) and Bergland Township (7%).
2%work in town
| Carp Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Carp Lake Township2%
Ontonagon Township17%
McMillan Township9%
Bergland Township7%
Stannard Township7%
30 mi
median commute distance
57
jobs based in Carp Lake Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazards
Carp Lake Township faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Carp Lake Township is 23 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 59% come from inland flooding and 23% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Carp Lake Township brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 77° in July, and January nights bottom out around 6°; snowfall runs to about 180 inches a winter.
180″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–25°
Spring27–50°
Summer52–75°
Fall35–53°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 26
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults in Carp Lake Township have high blood pressure than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
Among 702 Michigan towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Carp Lake Township. 17% of adults have diabetes in the town. Against the Michigan average, Carp Lake Township comes out ahead on 6 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 11.
| Carp Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
6 better15 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Carp Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 11.6% | 7% |
Aspirus Ironwood Hospital
27.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Carp Lake Township
17pages on Carp Lake Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Carp Lake Township; the nearest are
Gogebic Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ironwood29.8 mi$4,800 in-state tuitionMichigan Technological UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Houghton59.2 mi$19,123 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Carp Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Get outside
192 miles of trails in Carp Lake Township
51.2% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
3
Gogebic County Forest6 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Carp Lake Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Carp Lake Township is a civil township of Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the township was 582 at the 2020 census. Part of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is within the township. Carp Lake Township is the westernmost municipality in the United States to use Eastern Standard Time.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 226 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,027 ft
Questions about Carp Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Carp Lake Township, MI a good place to live?
Carp Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.