Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town. A town settled in 1869, now home to 2,276 people.
Central Lake Township’s best subject grade is an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a C for incomes. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Central Lake Township, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). A typical home costs about $228K, 3.2 years of the county’s $72K median household income. Only 74 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. Central Lake Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Central Lake Township beats most towns.
Where Central Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Central Lake Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,307 in 1900, 960 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Central 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Central Lake Township.
The average trip to work for Central Lake Township comes to 27 minutes. Most people who work leave Central Lake Township to do it: just 13% work in town. Between 2011 and 2021, jobs here rose by 62, to 383. The top destinations are Kearney Township (14%), East Jordan (8%) and Traverse City (5%).
| Central Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its one school is below. The Central Lake Public Schools runs its public schools. 223 students attend Central Lake Township’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Lake Public SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 223 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Population is up 5.5% in Central Lake Township since 2020, to 2,276 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Its median age is 50.4 years. 31% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 32% across Michigan.
| Central Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.5 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 76% are men (MI 50%).
| Central Lake Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.3% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.7% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
The FEMA risk score in Central Lake Township is 27 of 100. 61% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 29%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For Central Lake Township, the peak summer temperature is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the Michigan average, Central Lake Township comes out ahead on 11 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6. Central Lake Township: 5.1% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Two figures for adults here: 42% have high blood pressure, 14% binge drink.
| Central Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Central Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.4 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. Central Lake Township’s density of trails stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Central Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilson Lake Boating Access Site | — | 4 |
| 2. Thurston Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Central Lake Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Central Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Village in Michigan, United States
Central Lake is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 960 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Central Lake Township. Central Lake is situated on a lake which is in the center of a chain of lakes and rivers in the county, hence the name.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Central Lake Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Lake Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B |
| Torch Lake Township | — | — | D | — | A− | B+ |
| Echo Township | — | — | B | — | B | B− |
| Banks Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Forest Home Township | — | — | B− | — | B | B |
| Eastport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Central Lake Township, Torch Lake Township, Echo Township, Banks Township and Forest Home Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Central Lake Township, Torch Lake Township, Echo Township, Banks Township and Forest Home Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Eastport isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Central Lake Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.