Hayes Township (Otsego County), MI location, 2019
Hayes Township’s story
Hayes Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
Explore the history →Hayes TownshipOtsego County, MI
A town of 2,839.
Population
2,839
2025 Census estimate · +4% since 2020
Median home value
$222K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
50.8
years
Jobs based here
42
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#477 of 697 in MI
What should you know before moving to Hayes Township?
Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C+, ranked 477th of 697 in Michigan. Its public schools beat 77% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation and natural-hazard risk is low. Hayes Township’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, at 8,351 acres with 41.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 15 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history.
What makes Hayes Township stand out
Where Hayes Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Hayes Township for work
Where Hayes Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
42jobs based in Hayes Township
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Hayes Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Hayes Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A for hazard risk (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for walkability (better than 5%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.1 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 0.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 16% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & income$78K median household income; 42 jobs based hereCOpen →HealthMunson Healthcare Grayling Hospital 18.1 miles awayC+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $222K, 3.3 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryDOpen →Civic life3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Hayes Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hayes Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet6 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hayes 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 hereHayes Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP codes49735, 4973049735 97% · 49730 3%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 Hayes Township.
Hayes Township is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Gaylord and beyond.
OutdoorsC
Hayes Township has set aside 0.8% of its land for conservation
On this, Hayes Township is where Michigan’s towns sit at 4.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 203 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
#17for trails in MI
0.8%
conserved · 367 of 44,932 acres
203 mi
of trails · 2.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 41.2 mi | 8,351 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Hayes Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
About one in three of Hayes Township’s working residents commute to Gaylord
Hayes Township has 42 jobs for its 1,033 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Hayes Township for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Gaylord (32%), Bagley Township (5%) and Livingston Township (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
1%work in town
| Hayes Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Hayes Township1%
Gaylord32%
Bagley Township5%
Livingston Township4%
Petoskey3%
17 mi
median commute distance
42
jobs based in Hayes Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 5% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Hayes Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The Gaylord 9ssw weather station records that 149 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Hayes Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Hayes Township is 79°F.
149″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–28°
Spring29–52°
Summer53–77°
Fall37–55°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Hayes Township is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Hayes Township beats the Michigan average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hayes Township.
45%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Hayes Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
4 better27 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Hayes Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.9% |
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital
18.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
46th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hayes Township
18pages on Hayes Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hayes Township; the nearest are
Kirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling22.6 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids91.6 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Hayes Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Hayes Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Hayes Township is a civil township of Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,725 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 71 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,421 ft
Hayes Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Hayes Township.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Mancelona Township (B−) is closest.
Elmira TownshipBagley TownshipStar TownshipFrederic TownshipMancelona TownshipLakes of the NorthOtsego Lake TownshipHayes Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes Township | #477 | C+ | B− | — | A− | C+ |
| Elmira Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | C+ |
| Bagley Township | #230 | B+ | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Star Township | — | — | B+ | — | D | C+ |
| Frederic Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Mancelona Township | #384 | B− | A | — | B | C |
| Lakes of the North | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Otsego Lake Township | #352 | B | B | — | A− | C+ |
Elmira Township, Star Township and Frederic Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hayes Township, Elmira Township, Bagley Township, Star Township, Frederic Township, Mancelona Township and Otsego Lake Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lakes of the North isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hayes Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Hayes Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hayes Township, MI a good place to live?
Hayes Township grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #477 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Hayes 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−.