M-28-Sand River Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Onota Township’s story
141 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1885Onota Township is settled
Onota TownshipMI
368 people live in this town, settled in 1885.
4 bordering townsMap →
M-28-Sand River Bridge · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
368
2025 Census estimate · −0.5% since 2020
Median home value
$331K
Census ACS
Household income
$86K
median
Median age
57.4
years
Jobs based here
22
A commuter town
Is Onota Township a good place to live?
Onota Township’s median age is 57.4 years, above both Michigan’s towns (42.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Among 702 Michigan towns, just 2 have a lower midsummer high than Onota Township. 27% of the land in Onota Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Laughing Whitefish Lake Preserve, at 1,657 acres. Onota Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
368 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Rock River TownshipChocolay TownshipAu Train TownshipSkandia TownshipOnota Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Onota Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Onota Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Onota 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 hereOnota Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49822, 49806, 49825, 4988549822 57% · 49806 41% · 49825 1% · 49885 1%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 Onota Township.
Outdoors
Onota Township keeps nearly a quarter of its land conserved
The concentration of trails for Onota Township comes to 0.8 miles per square mile. Trails total 78 miles in 8 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in the town: 8, covering 3,576 acres.
27.2%conserved
27.2%
conserved · 17,916 of 65,829 acres
78 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tory's Woods Preserve | 2.2 mi | 207 |
| 2. Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) | 1.3 mi | 785 |
| 3. Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park | 1.1 mi | 438 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Schools
The schools Onota Township’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the AuTrain-Onota Public Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| AuTrainOnota Public SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 20 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
A smaller share of working residents in Onota Township work locally than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
The top destinations are Munising (24%), Marquette (19%) and Munising Township (8%). For residents in Onota Township, the share who live below the poverty line is 13%. The mean commuting time in the town is 23 minutes.
1%work in town
| Onota Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Onota Township1%
Munising24%
Marquette19%
Munising Township8%
Rock River Township6%
20 mi
median commute distance
22
jobs based in Onota Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazards
Onota Township has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
For Onota Township, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 23 of 100. 57% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by lightning at 17%. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 2022: 2.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 2022
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Onota Township’s year
Onota Township’s January low is 12°F.
164″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–27°
Spring29–48°
Summer53–73°
Fall38–54°
Sep 28
typical first frost
May 27
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, more of Onota Township’s adults had a checkup this year
Onota Township: 14% of adults have diabetes. 42% of adults locally have high blood pressure; 14% binge drink.
| Onota Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 80% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
11 better16 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Onota Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.3% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.1% | 8.9% |
Munising Memorial Hospital
15.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Onota Township
18pages on Onota Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Onota Township; the nearest are
Northern Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Marquette22.9 mi$14,277 in-state tuitionBay de Noc Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Escanaba46.8 mi$5,712 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Onota Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Onota Township for work
Where Onota Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
22jobs based in Onota Township
1%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
Questions about Onota Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Onota Township, MI a good place to live?
Onota Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.