Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.7 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Negaunee gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $243K, 3.7 years of the Marquette area’s $65K median household income. It grades A− overall, 144th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 85% of Michigan towns. Negaunee’s trail density is 4.8 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Negaunee's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. Negaunee has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Jackson Mine and Negaunee State Bank Building.
Where Negaunee beats most towns.
Jackson Mine0.8% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Negaunee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,559 in 1870, a peak of 8,460 in 1910, 4,627 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Negaunee, 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 Negaunee.
Negaunee pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Michigan norm, pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
For Negaunee, that is against 4.4% in Michigan’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 68 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Jackson Park, 321 acres with 12.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jackson Park | 12.2 mi | 321 |
| 2. Eastwood Playlot | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. Miners Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $243K.
Its public schools are run by the Negaunee Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Negaunee High School, with 474 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 584 | A− |
| Negaunee High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 474 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 2,572 in 2011 to 1,211. The average commute for its 2,002 working residents takes 15.8 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Negaunee for work: only 14% work in town. The average trip to work in Negaunee is 16 minutes. Since 2011, Negaunee has lost 1,361 jobs, to 1,211 in 2021.
| Negaunee | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Against the 10,548 U.S. towns with household incomes like Negaunee’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Negaunee beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of Negaunee adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Negaunee | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Negaunee | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.6% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Marquette weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 129 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Marquette weather station records that 197 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Negaunee’s July high is 77°F. Negaunee has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Negaunee's reported crime rate is well below Michigan's. 8 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Negaunee | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Negaunee grades A− overall with a typical home of about $243K, below the Michigan typical value; only 13 of the 103 Michigan towns graded A− or better can say that.
Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Negaunee | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $861 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Michigan average. 33% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Negaunee.
| Negaunee | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 26% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
About 116 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.8 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Negaunee | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,700, single groups can be off by several points
1 within 15 miles of the center of Negaunee
About 5 of every 100 Negaunee residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where Negaunee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
5 places in Negaunee on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Negaunee.
City in Michigan, United States
Negaunee ( nə-GAW-nee or locally nə-GON-ee) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,627 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township, which is administratively separate, in the Upper Peninsula. The city is home to a luge track. The name "Negaunee" comes from an Anishinabemowin (Ojibwe) word nigani, meaning "foremost, in advance, leading," which was determined to be the closest Ojibwe translation for "pioneer". Within the city limits is Teal Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Negaunee.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negaunee | #144 | A− | B | — | A | B+ |
| Negaunee Township | #331 | B | C | — | A | B+ |
| Ishpeming | #366 | B− | A− | B | B− | C |
| Ishpeming Township | #119 | A− | A | — | B+ | B |
Negaunee, Negaunee Township and Ishpeming Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Negaunee with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Negaunee grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #144 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
4 notable people were born here, including Bob Chase and Dominic Jacobetti.
