Grove Hill New Mission Church · National Register of Historic Places
Leelanau Township’s story
Leelanau Township in pictures
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Leelanau TownshipMI
A town of 2,109. 4.8 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
2 bordering townsMap →
Morgan-Copp-Mervau Building · Public domain
Population
2,109
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Median home value
$569K
Census ACS
Household income
$119K
median
Median age
62.5
years
Jobs based here
408
A commuter town
Is Leelanau Township a good place to live?
The best of Leelanau Township’s subject grades are an A− for health and schools and an A+ for civic life. 44% of residents are 65 or older in Leelanau Township, above both Michigan’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 60 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on hazard risk. The biggest park or preserve is Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve, at 12,912 acres. Only 16 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. Leelanau Township has 5 places on the National Register. Leelanau Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Leelanau Township stand out
Where Leelanau Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Leelanau Township14.9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA+
4.8 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Natural hazardsA+
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
How Leelanau Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Leelanau Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 6% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listA+Open →HealthHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns; Charlevoix Area Hospital 19.5 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $569K, 7 years of the Traverse City metro’s $81K median household incomeCOpen →Jobs & incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 0.2% of households have no car; 4.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4% conserved landA−Open →HistoryAOpen →Civic life8 library visits per resident; 14.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+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 Leelanau Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leelanau Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVillage of Northport water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Leelanau 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 hereLeelanau Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49670, 49674, 4968249670 85% · 49674 9% · 49682 6%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 Leelanau Township.
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Leelanau Township’s schools beat 81% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Northport Public School District. Its one school is below.
81%of MI districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northport Public SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 127 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Cold waves leads a very low hazard risk in Leelanau Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Leelanau Township.
6risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
2
paid flood claims since 1985
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
A smaller share of adults in Leelanau Township report frequent mental distress than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Leelanau Township, against 18% in Michigan’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns. 26% of Leelanau Township adults feel lonely. Of the 702 Michigan towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Leelanau Township.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Leelanau Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 80% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
20 better7 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Leelanau Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.7% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.4% | 8.9% |
Charlevoix Area Hospital
19.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Leelanau Township has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
About one in 4 of Leelanau Township’s working residents works in town. Leelanau Township’s median household income is $119,000. Jobs based in Leelanau Township grew to 408 in 2021, 42 more than in 2011.
28%work in town
| Leelanau Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $119,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Leelanau Township28%
Traverse City13%
Suttons Bay Township9%
Leland Township5%
Garfield Township4%
22 mi
median commute distance
408
jobs based in Leelanau Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Leelanau Township stands out in Michigan and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler
The July high in Leelanau Township is 77°F. Leelanau Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
91″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–30°
Spring32–50°
Summer57–75°
Fall42–56°
Oct 26
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.5%conserved
| Leelanau Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
3.5%
conserved · 5,054 of 144,460 acres
30 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leelanau State Park | 10.4 mi | 1,636 |
| 2. Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area | 3.3 mi | 2,100 |
| 3. Kehl Lake Natural Area | 1.6 mi | 279 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leelanau Township
17pages on Leelanau Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Leelanau Township; the nearest are
Northwestern Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Traverse City27 mi$5,860 in-state tuitionNorth Central Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Petoskey34.7 mi$5,430 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids101.6 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Leelanau Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Landmarks
5 places in Leelanau Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Leelanau Township’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Leelanau Township.
Leland TownshipSuttons Bay TownshipLeelanau Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leelanau Township | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Leland Township | — | — | C− | — | A | A− |
| Suttons Bay Township | #424 | B− | C+ | — | C+ | B+ |
Leelanau Township and Leland Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Leelanau Township, Leland Township and Suttons Bay Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Leelanau Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Leelanau Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Leelanau Township, MI a good place to live?
4.8 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Leelanau 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 C.