Commercial Buildings —, 2016
Homer’s story
194 years in pictures
Census counts: 685 in 1870, 1,575 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1918 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
- 1832Homer is settled
HomerMI
Photo: Christopher L. Riley · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,603
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Typical home
$190K
−0.2% in a year
Household income
$55K
median
Median age
31.5
years
Jobs based here
466
Balanced
Is Homer a good place to live?
Homer’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A+ for history; its weakest is a D for health. Only 34 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $55K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On history, just 13 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Homer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Homer stand out
Where Homer beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
0historic places
HistoryA+
Settled in 1832
A long history
A history going back 194 years.
Typical home value
Homer$190K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingA−
3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 84% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better14 too close to call18 worse
| Widest gap | Homer | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.1% | 10.2% |
Worth knowing · HealthD
Less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
How Homer grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Homer is from typical.
HealthOaklawn Hospital 11.6 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.3 of 20; 7.4% of households have no car; 8.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →SchoolsBehind 52% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailBOpen →History2 notable people born hereA+Open →Civic life1.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 31.5; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Homer: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Homer, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHomer water system2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers90% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Homer’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 hereHomer Township ClerkHomer Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2026
ZIP code4924549245 100%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 Homer.
HealthD
A larger share of adults in Homer smoke cigarettes than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Homer, above both the Michigan town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Homer. Homer beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
6%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Homer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better14 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Homer | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.1% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 22.8% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.1% | 8.1% |
Oaklawn Hospital
11.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homer’s typical home value is about $190K
The typical Homer home is worth about $190,000, about the same as a year ago, 28% below the Michigan typical home. 57% of households own their home in Homer, against 84% in Michigan’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Homer’s median rent is $825 a month.
$190KZillow home value
| Homer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $825 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Homer$190K
Michigan$264K
−0.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Homer
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Homer
Homer has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–34°
Spring36–58°
Summer58–80°
Fall41–60°
Oct 13
typical first frost
May 2
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With 0.8 jobs for every working resident, most of Homer’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Homer for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2011, Homer has lost 371 jobs, to 466 in 2021. The top destinations are Homer Township (15%), Litchfield (7%) and Marshall (7%).
14%work in town
| Homer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Homer14%
Homer Township15%
Litchfield7%
Marshall7%
Coldwater5%
16 mi
median commute distance
466
jobs based in Homer
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 918 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakefront Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 2. Roadside Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Grist Mill Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 35 attractions →Air Zoo and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Homer. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
12 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic19 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
37 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year34 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
37 mi GardenHidden Lake GardensSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hidden Lake Gardens: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Homer
19pages on Homer
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Homer
Albion CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Albion7.6 mi$56,950 tuitionSpring Arbor UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Spring Arbor13.6 mi$34,014 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Homer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Homer
Village in Michigan, United States
See also: Omer, Michigan, which was originally intended to be called "Homer". Homer is a village in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,575 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1832
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 991 ft
- ZIP code
- 49245
Questions about Homer
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Homer, MI expensive?
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($63,177 across the Battle Creek, 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 A−.
What is Homer, MI known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Josh Collmenter and H. Gregg Lewis.