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87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron-F-106-flightline
Michigan›Marquette County

K. I. SawyerMI

Settled in 1944, this town now has 2,817 residents.

Photo: United States Air Force · Public domain
Photo of K. I. Sawyer

K. I. Sawyer, MI · Photo: United States Air Force · Public domain · Source ↗

Is K. I. Sawyer a good place to live?

31% of residents are under 18 in K. I. Sawyer, where Michigan’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. Among 702 Michigan towns, just 7 have a lower share of households owning their home than K. I. Sawyer. K. I. Sawyer’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Little Trout Lake Park, at 174 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. We don’t grade K. I. Sawyer yet; the figures below are still real.

A growing town

K. I. Sawyer has grown 17% from 2010 to 2020

2,624 counted in 2010 and 3,064 in 2020.

2,6242010
3,0642020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

Getting set up

Moving to K. I. Sawyer: who provides what

K. I. Sawyer is unincorporated, so Marquette County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterK I Sawyer water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMarquette CountyMarquette County provides services here
SchoolsGwinn Area Community SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereForsyth Township ClerkForsyth Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4984149841 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 K. I. Sawyer.

Natural hazards

Very low risk in K. I. Sawyer, with cold waves at the top

Of the losses FEMA expects in K. I. Sawyer, 59% come from cold waves and 19% from inland flooding. Compared with 93% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower.

7risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
7Very low riskLowerHigher
Cold wavesInland floodingHail

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

K. I. Sawyer has 0.3 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work

Half the trips to work are shorter than 15 miles. For residents in K. I. Sawyer, the share who live below the poverty line is 14%. Also worth knowing: since 2011, K. I. Sawyer has added 221 jobs, to 236 in 2021. Its average trip to work is put at 20 minutes.

3%work in town
K. I. SawyerTypical Michigan townTypical U.S. town
Average trip to work20 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line14%8.9%9.6%
Median household income$61,000$77,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town3.2%5.9%8%

Where working residents work

In K. I. Sawyer3%
Marquette31%
Forsyth Township24%
Marquette Township5%
Escanaba3%
15 mi
median commute distance
236
jobs based in K. I. Sawyer
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2021 · ACS

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is K. I. Sawyer’s year

A winter brings about 197 inches of snow, with January nights at 7° and July afternoons at 79°.

197″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter9–26°
Spring27–50°
Summer52–76°
Fall35–54°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

More of K. I. Sawyer’s adults binge drink than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town

Among adults in K. I. Sawyer, 18% smoke cigarettes. Of 32 CDC measures, K. I. Sawyer beats the Michigan average on 7 and trails it on 10.

K. I. SawyerTypical Michigan townTypical U.S. town
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)20%17%16%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)18%15%14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)40%37%35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)9.8%12%12%
32 measures vs. Michigan
7 better15 too close to call10 worse
What stands outK. I. SawyerMI
Fewer adults who have had cancer6.7%8.9%
Fewer adults with heart disease5.5%7%
More adults in frequent mental distress21.7%17.6%
Uphs Marquette DLP Hospital
14.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Housing

Homes in K. I. Sawyer sell for about $158K

The midpoint rent for K. I. Sawyer is $782 a month.

$158Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Outdoors

0% of K. I. Sawyer is conserved land

Trails run 4.8 miles in 3 parks and preserves. K. I. Sawyer’s parks and preserves take up 304 acres in all.

0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,099 acres
4.8 mi
of trails · 2.8 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Little Trout Lake Park1.2 mi174
2. Silver Lead Creek Greenway—105
3. Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South)—25

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Nearby attractions

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and 4 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around K. I. Sawyer. Close and well known come first.

All 8 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: National Park Service, Public domain · Hiawatha National Forest: © 2004 Matthew Trump, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lakenenland: Skvader, CC BY-SA 4.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about K. I. Sawyer

16pages on K. I. Sawyer
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of K. I. Sawyer; the nearest are

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave K. I. Sawyer for work

Where K. I. Sawyer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

31% → Marquette Marquette 31% 24% → Forsyth Township Forsyth Township 24% 5% → Marquette Township Marquette Township 5% 3% → Escanaba Escanaba 3% 3% → West Branch Township West Branch Township 3% 2% → Ishpeming Ishpeming 2% K. I. Sawyer · 3% stay
236jobs based in K. I. Sawyer
3%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2021

About K. I. Sawyer

Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Marquette County, Michigan, south of Marquette. Near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the base operated for nearly 40 years and closed in 1995. The county airport, Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled airline flights and some general aviation activity. The area of the former base is now an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes. The CDP is known as K. I. Sawyer and had a population of 3,064 at the 2020 census, up from 2,624 in 2010. It is located within Forsyth Township and West Branch Township.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established
1944
Area
1.7 sq mi
Elevation
1,221 ft

Questions about K. I. Sawyer

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is K. I. Sawyer, MI a good place to live?

We don’t grade K. I. Sawyer yet; the figures below are still real.