MarletteMI
A town of 1,833, settled in 1866. A regional job hub with 1,456 jobs.
Is Marlette a good place to live?
Marlette’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for incomes. Only 88 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on incomes. 14% of the land in Marlette is conserved, above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Marlette has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Marlette stand out
Where Marlette beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Every workday, about 1,327 people come to Marlette for work
Where Marlette’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Marlette grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Marlette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Marlette: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marlette, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Marlette.
With 2.3 jobs for every working resident, Marlette draws in 1,327 commuters
About one in 5 of Marlette’s working residents works in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Marlette, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Marlette’s median household income is $49,000.
| Marlette | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Marlette’s schools rank ahead of 68% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Marlette Community Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Marlette JrSr High School, with 371 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlette ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 328 | B |
| Marlette JrSr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 371 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Residents of Marlette are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns
Marlette beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Marlette.
| Marlette | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Marlette | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.4% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 18.6% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Marlette faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical home in Marlette is valued at about $176K
The typical Marlette home is worth about $176,000, up 0.7% in a year, 33% below the Michigan typical home. 56% of Marlette households own their home.
| Marlette | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $873 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Marlette
Marlette has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Marlette is 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marlette Community Park & Pool | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Everything we know about Marlette
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Marlette; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Marlette residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Famous people from Marlette
3 notable people were born in Marlette.
About Marlette
Place in Michigan, United States
Marlette is a city in Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,855 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by Marlette Township, but is administratively autonomous. Marlette is known as "The Heart of the Thumb" due to its location in Michigan's thumb.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 837 ft
- ZIP code
- 48453
- Area code
- 989
Questions about Marlette
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Marlette, MI expensive?
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($58,863 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
What is Marlette, MI known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Dale Wesley Lick and Audley Rawson.