Photo: Rachel Kramer · CC BY 2.0Living in Empire, MI: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Empire is in ZIP code 49630. The ER is a drive from Empire: the closest is Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, 15.1 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Empire, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Empire.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Empire. Its homes paid an average of 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $126 a month (its average across Michigan, for customers on its standard service). Michigan lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of DTE’s home customers do, and DTE still delivers it.
Start or move service: www.dteenergy.com · (800) 477-4747
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Village of Empire water system
The Village of Empire water system supplies Empire: about 86% of residents live in its service area. About 14% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 400 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 2.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 74% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MI0002130.
4 home internet providers serve Empire
95% of 388 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 53% | 40/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 54% | 25/6 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 2% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Empire’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Empire.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Empire is in Glen Lake Community Schools.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Empire is in ZIP code 49630
ZIP codes where Empire residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Empire | ZIP’s residents in Empire |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49630 | Empire, MI | 100% | 27% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Empire
Who supplies Empire’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Village of Empire water system (EPA ID MI0002130). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.1 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Empire?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Empire?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Empire?
49630. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Empire in?
Glen Lake Community Schools.
How do I register to vote in Empire?
In 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). Elections here are run by the Empire Township Clerk. Check your registration at mvic.sos.state.mi.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.