Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1874 and has 4,559 residents today.
At B− overall, Mancelona Township is better than 52% of U.S. towns and ranks 384th of 697 in Michigan. It does especially well on cost of living: a typical home costs about $203K, 2.8 years of the county’s $72K median household income. The weak point is incomes (D): the median household income is $65K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Health is weaker too — CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 71% of the country. Its concentration of trails is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, 16,232 acres with 76.9 miles of trail. On hazard risk, just 28 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
Where Mancelona Township beats most towns.
1.1% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Mancelona Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 105 in 1880, 1,344 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mancelona Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Mancelona Township.
Mancelona Township trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Walkers can cover 130 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Mancelona Township: 7, covering 16,252 acres.
| Mancelona Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 76.9 mi | 16,232 |
| 2. Palmer Park | — | 15 |
| 3. Triangle Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mancelona Public Schools. Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The 3 public schools in Mancelona Township teach 773 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mancelona Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 288 | C |
| Mancelona High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 243 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected losses in Mancelona Township break down as 47% from cold waves and 37% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 755 in 2011 to 498.
The top destinations are Kearney Township (12%), Kalkaska Township (6%) and Traverse City (6%). Commuting out is the norm in Mancelona Township: a tenth of working residents work locally. Since 2011, Mancelona Township has lost 257 jobs, to 498 in 2021. The typical journey to work for Mancelona Township comes to 28 minutes.
| Mancelona Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Mancelona Township: 18% of adults smoke cigarettes. Two figures for adults locally: 28% have been diagnosed with depression, 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Mancelona Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Mancelona Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 17.5% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $203K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles. At 2.8 years of the county’s $72K median household income, the typical home (about $203K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Mancelona Township’s going rate for rent is $868 a month. The typical home value locally is about $203,000, up 1.2% in a year, 23% below the Michigan typical home. 82% of households live in a home they own here.
| Mancelona Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $868 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Kalkaska weather station, 15 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 128 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Kalkaska weather station, 15 miles away, records that 132 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
The July high in Mancelona Township is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Mancelona Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Mancelona Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Mancelona Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
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)
7 towns share a border with Mancelona Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancelona Township | #384 | B− | A | — | B | C |
| Chestonia Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Custer Township | — | — | A− | — | B | C+ |
| Coldsprings Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
| Star Township | — | — | B+ | — | D | C+ |
| Blue Lake Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hayes Township | #477 | C+ | B− | — | A− | C+ |
| Lakes of the North | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Custer Township, Coldsprings Township and Star Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mancelona Township, Custer Township, Coldsprings Township, Star Township and Hayes Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Chestonia Township, Blue Lake Township and Lakes of the North aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mancelona Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mancelona Township grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #384 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.