1888 lakeodessa, 1888
Lake Odessa’s story
138 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1888.
- 1888Lake Odessa is settled
Lake OdessaMI
A town of 2,089, settled in 1888.
Photo: Bazaarshop · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,089
2025 Census estimate · +2% since 2020
Typical home
$265K
+6.6% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
31.0
years
Jobs based here
876
Balanced
Is Lake Odessa a good place to live?
Lake Odessa’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for schools; its weakest is a C− for incomes. On cost of living, just 27 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Lake Odessa is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Lake Odessa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lake Odessa stand out
Where Lake Odessa beats most towns.
How Lake Odessa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Lake Odessa is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsBeat 79% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 25% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Jobs & income$63K median household incomeC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.7 of 20; 8.5% of households have no car; 3.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthSparrow Ionia Hospital 11 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 7% conserved landA−Open →HistoryB−Open →Civic life2.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
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 31.0; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lake Odessa: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Odessa, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Odessa water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lake Odessa’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 hereOdessa Township ClerkOdessa Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4884948849 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 Lake Odessa.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Lake Odessa faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lake Odessa since 1989.
25risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
1
paid flood claims since 1989
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Lake Odessa has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Lake Odessa has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 68 inches of snow falls in a winter.
68″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–33°
Spring35–57°
Summer58–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 12
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Lake Odessa has 1.1 jobs for every working resident, and 792 people commute in
Most working residents leave Lake Odessa for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Lake Odessa grew to 876 in 2021, 241 more than in 2011. 14% of Lake Odessa residents live below the poverty line, above both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).
11%work in town
| Lake Odessa | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Lake Odessa11%
Odessa Township17%
Grand Rapids9%
Kentwood4%
Lansing3%
23 mi
median commute distance
876
jobs based in Lake Odessa
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
OutdoorsA−
6.8% of Lake Odessa is conserved land
0.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. At 0.8 miles per square mile, Lake Odessa’s trail density is against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
6.8%conserved
| Lake Odessa | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
6.8%
conserved · 39 of 567 acres
0.7 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sports FIeld / Sledding Hill | 0.1 mi | 7 |
| 2. Lake Odessa Village Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Lake Odessa Municipal Beach | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Lake Odessa is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns
Lake Odessa beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lake Odessa.
53%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Lake Odessa | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better31 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Lake Odessa | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.3% | 8.7% |
Sparrow Ionia Hospital
11 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
Lake Odessa’s typical home value is about $265K
The typical Lake Odessa home is worth about $265,000, up 6.6% in a year, close to the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Lake Odessa is $770 a month.
$265KZillow home value
| Lake Odessa | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $770 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lake Odessa$265K
Michigan$264K
+6.6%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Odessa
18pages on Lake Odessa
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake Odessa; the nearest are
Davenport UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Grand Rapids20.6 mi$24,466 tuitionGrand Rapids Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grand Rapids29.6 mi$4,179 in-state tuitionMichigan State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · East Lansing33.7 mi$16,458 in-state tuition
About 9 of every 100 Lake Odessa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Lake Odessa
Village in Michigan, United States
Lake Odessa is a village in Ionia County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Lake Odessa had a population of 1,994. It is located in the southern portion of the county in Odessa Township on the northeast shore of Jordan Lake, which is the boundary with Barry County. Since 1987, Lake Odessa has been named a "Tree City USA" by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 866 ft
- ZIP code
- 48849
Questions about Lake Odessa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Odessa, MI expensive?
Not for the 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.