Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,168, settled in 1864. 3.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
The best of Empire Township’s subject grades are an A for schools, an A− for health, and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 50% of residents are 65 or older in Empire Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 111 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on health. 34% of the land in Empire Township is conserved, where Michigan’s towns sit at 4.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, at 8,777 acres with 13.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 11 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. Empire Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Empire Township beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Empire Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Empire Township. Close and well known come first.
in town National LakeshoreSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore1.6M visitors a year21 mi MuseumMichigan Legacy Art ParkSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: en:User:Grod028, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Empire 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 Empire Township.
The typical Empire Township home is worth about $641,000, up 4.2% in a year, more than twice the Michigan typical home. 85% of Empire Township households own their home.
| Empire Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,034 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
34 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Empire Township’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | 13.3 mi | 8,777 |
| 2. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 11.3 mi | 1,805 |
| 3. Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness | 2.7 mi | 1,092 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Empire Township. Only 3 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Empire Township. 15% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Empire Township.
| Empire Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| What stands out | Empire Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.2% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Empire Township since 1988.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Empire Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Empire Township is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Empire Township for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Empire Township fell to 250 in 2021, 138 fewer than in 2011. The top destinations are Glen Arbor Township (20%), Traverse City (14%) and Garfield Township (6%).
| Empire Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Empire Township; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Empire Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Village in Michigan, United States
Empire is a village on Lake Michigan in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. Located in southwestern Leelanau County, its population was 362 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Empire Township, and is famous for its proximity to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Empire is home to the lakeshore's headquarters, the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
That is 7.9 years of the area's median household income ($80,889 across the Traverse City, MI metro 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−.
