Otsego Lake State Park (Oct 2018), 2018
Otsego Lake Township’s story
153 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 2 maps from 1949 on.
- 1873Otsego Lake Township is settled
Population
2,968
2025 Census estimate · +3.8% since 2020
Median home value
$218K
Census ACS
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
55.6
years
Jobs based here
95
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#352 of 697 in MI
Is Otsego Lake Township a good place to live?
Otsego Lake Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $218K, 3.2 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It grades B overall, 352nd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. On the plus side, its schools outperform 77% of the state's. Otsego Lake Township’s median age is 55.6 years, above both the Michigan town median (42.5 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, at 6,265 acres with 30.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On history, just 38 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse.
What makes Otsego Lake Township stand out
Where Otsego Lake Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Otsego Lake Township for work
Where Otsego Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
95jobs based in Otsego Lake Township
1%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Otsego Lake Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Otsego Lake Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 16% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.2 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & income$73K median household incomeC+Open →Cost of livingBOpen →HealthMunson Healthcare Grayling Hospital 16.4 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1% conserved landBOpen →HistoryDOpen →Civic life3.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+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 Otsego Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otsego Lake Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFairway Lake Condominiums water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayHire your ownTown site
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 hereOtsego Lake Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49735, 4973349735 86% · 49733 14%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 Otsego Lake Township.
Otsego Lake Township is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Gaylord and beyond.
OutdoorsB
0.8% of Otsego Lake Township is conserved land
54 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Otsego Lake Township’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile.
#76for trails in MI
| Otsego Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
0.8%
conserved · 170 of 22,521 acres
54 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 30.4 mi | 6,265 |
| 2. Otsego Lake State Park | 0.5 mi | 54 |
| 3. Remi and Edna Schotte Memorial Township Park | — | 77 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Otsego Lake Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in three of Otsego Lake Township’s working residents commute to Gaylord
Otsego Lake Township has 95 jobs for its 1,054 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Otsego Lake Township for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Otsego Lake Township grew to 95 in 2021, 39 more than in 2011. The average trip to work in Otsego Lake Township is 22 minutes.
1%work in town
| Otsego Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Otsego Lake Township1%
Gaylord31%
Bagley Township5%
Livingston Township4%
Petoskey3%
19 mi
median commute distance
95
jobs based in Otsego Lake Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Who lives here
Older than Michigan overall
37.8% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.5% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 31% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 17% of Otsego Lake Township residents are under 18. Otsego Lake Township has grown 3.8% since 2020, to 2,968 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
55.6median age · MI 40.2
| Otsego Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 26% | 29% |
Otsego Lake TownshipMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
23%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school31%
Some college26%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s17%
Graduate14%
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 118 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.7 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Otsego Lake Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.1% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.8% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.9% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Otsego Lake Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
The Gaylord 9ssw weather station records that 149 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Otsego Lake Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79° and January nights drop to 11°.
149″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–28°
Spring29–52°
Summer53–77°
Fall37–55°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Otsego Lake Township is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Otsego Lake Township beats the Michigan average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Otsego Lake Township.
45%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Otsego Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
4 better25 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Otsego Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.9% |
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital
16.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
46th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Otsego Lake Township
18pages on Otsego Lake Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Otsego Lake Township; the nearest are
Kirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling21 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Mount Pleasant90.9 mi$14,760 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Otsego Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Otsego Lake Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Otsego Lake Township is a civil township of Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,857 at the 2020 census. The township takes its name from Otsego Lake, in which the southern half is within the township. Otsego Lake State Park is located in the township on the southeast shore of the lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,421 ft
Otsego Lake Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Otsego Lake Township.
Bagley TownshipChester TownshipMaple Forest TownshipHayes TownshipOtsego Lake Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego Lake Township | #352 | B | B | — | A− | C+ |
| Bagley Township | #230 | B+ | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Chester Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Maple Forest Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hayes Township | #477 | C+ | B− | — | A− | C+ |
Chester Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Otsego Lake Township, Bagley Township, Chester Township and Hayes Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Maple Forest Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Otsego Lake Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Otsego Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Otsego Lake Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Otsego Lake Township grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #352 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Otsego Lake Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.