Paw Paw LakeMI
With 3,889 residents, this town was settled in 1901.
Is Paw Paw Lake a good place to live?
18% of residents live below the poverty line in Paw Paw Lake, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. We don’t grade Paw Paw Lake yet; the figures below are still real.
98% of working residents leave Paw Paw Lake for work
Where Paw Paw Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Moving to Paw Paw Lake: who provides what
Paw Paw Lake is unincorporated, so Berrien County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Paw Paw Lake.
Paw Paw Lake has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The median commute is under 15 miles. Since 2011, Paw Paw Lake has lost 675 jobs, to 185 in 2021. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. In Paw Paw Lake, the average trip to work is 31 minutes.
| Paw Paw Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Paw Paw Lake faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected losses in Paw Paw Lake break down as 63% from inland flooding and 14% from cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Paw Paw Lake: snowy winters and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 19°; snowfall runs to about 78 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer middle-aged adults than Michigan overall
In Paw Paw Lake, the age of the median resident is 39 years. Adults 35 to 64 are nearly a third of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 32% across Michigan. Among residents locally, 19% are under 18.
| Paw Paw Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 39 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Paw Paw Lake | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.4% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.3% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.5% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,900, single groups can be off by several points
How healthy Paw Paw Lake is
For adults in Paw Paw Lake, the share who have obesity is 40%. 43% of adults here have high blood pressure; 25% say their health is fair or poor.
| Paw Paw Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Paw Paw Lake | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.4% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.1% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Conserved land covers 2.9% of Paw Paw Lake
Parks and preserves in Paw Paw Lake: 2, covering 5 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paw Paw Lake Public Access | — | 3 |
| 2. Sunset Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Paw Paw Lake sells for about $525K
A home in Paw Paw Lake typically sold within 35 days of listing. In Paw Paw Lake, three quarters of households are owner-occupiers. Its median rent comes in at $1,164 a month.
| Paw Paw Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,164 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Paw Paw Lake
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paw Paw Lake
About 5 of every 100 Paw Paw Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
About Paw Paw Lake
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Paw Paw Lake is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes, without legal status as a municipality. The community is located within areas of both Coloma Charter Township and Watervliet Township in the area surrounding Paw Paw Lake and Little Paw Paw Lake, excluding the cities of Watervliet and Coloma. The population of the CDP was 3,323 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 653 ft
Paw Paw Lake’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Paw Paw Lake.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Watervliet | — | — | B+ | C | C+ | D− |
| Coloma | — | — | B | — | C | C |
Watervliet and Coloma have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Coloma reports no FBI crime data of its own. Paw Paw Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Paw Paw Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Paw Paw Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Paw Paw Lake, MI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Paw Paw Lake yet; the figures below are still real.