Mancelona Township Library, 2018
Mancelona’s story
152 years in pictures
Census counts: 105 in 1880, 1,344 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
- 1874Mancelona is settled
MancelonaMI
A town of 1,399, settled in 1874.
Photo: Jesse Sallak · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,399
2025 Census estimate · +5.2% since 2020
Median home value
$131K
Census ACS
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
32.5
years
Jobs based here
279
A commuter town
Is Mancelona a good place to live?
The best of Mancelona’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for walkability and civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 6 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on hazard risk. Mancelona has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Mancelona stand out
Where Mancelona beats most towns.
Small town
1,399 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Mancelona grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Mancelona is from typical.
Hazard riskcold waves tops the listA+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $131K, 1.8 years of the county’s $72K median household incomeAOpen →Jobs & income$52K median household income; 279 jobs based hereDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 80% of U.S. towns; Kalkaska Memorial Health Center 12.8 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.8 of 20; 5% of households have no carA−Open →SchoolsBeat 58% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2% conserved landB−Open →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life3.4 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 Mancelona: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mancelona, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMancelona Area Water and Sewer AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mancelona’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 hereMancelona Township ClerkMancelona Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4965949659 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 Mancelona.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Mancelona stands out in Michigan and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is lower
At 1 of 100, Mancelona’s FEMA risk score is where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100.
1risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
Fewer of Mancelona’s adults had a checkup this year than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
77% of adults had a checkup this year in Mancelona, below both the Michigan town median (80%) and the median of U.S. towns (79%). 8.8% of Mancelona adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Mancelona beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
20%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Mancelona | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Mancelona | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.5% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 20.1% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 8.1% |
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center
12.8 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Mancelona’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Mancelona for work: only 8% work in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Mancelona. The top destinations are Kearney Township (15%), Mancelona Township (14%) and Kalkaska Township (7%).
8%work in town
| Mancelona | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Mancelona8%
Kearney Township15%
Mancelona Township14%
Kalkaska Township7%
Traverse City6%
18 mi
median commute distance
279
jobs based in Mancelona
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Mancelona, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Mancelona has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Mancelona is 80°F.
132″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–29°
Spring30–53°
Summer54–78°
Fall38–56°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 24
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB−
Mancelona has set aside 2.5% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
2.5%conserved
| Mancelona | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
2.5%
conserved · 16 of 640 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Railroad Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mancelona
19pages on Mancelona
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mancelona; the nearest are
Kirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling27.1 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids86.5 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Mancelona residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Mancelona for work
Where Mancelona’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
279jobs based in Mancelona
8%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Mancelona
Village in Antrim County, Michigan, US
Mancelona ( man-sə-LOW-nə) is a village in the Northern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of Mancelona Township, the village is located within Antrim County. Its population was 1,344 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,125 ft
- ZIP code
- 49659
Questions about Mancelona
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mancelona, 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.