Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Petoskey is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 41st of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of Michigan towns, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. Petoskey’s trail density is 5.5 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 11 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on walkability. Its National Register listings include St. Francis Solanus Mission and Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Station.
Where Petoskey beats most towns.
Its 38 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Michigan towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,815 in 1880, 5,877 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Petoskey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Petoskey, 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 Petoskey.
Petoskey has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Michigan, draws workers from Bear Creek Township and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 5.5 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 590 Michigan towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #6 of 701 in Michigan.
On this, Petoskey is against 4.4% in Michigan’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 29 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Petoskey Winter Sports Park, at 39 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bear River Valley Recreation Area | 1.9 mi | 35 |
| 2. East Park | 0.9 mi | 36 |
| 3. Petoskey Winter Sports Park | 0.7 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Public Schools of Petoskey. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petoskey Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 561 | A− |
| Petoskey High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 862 | A |
| Lincoln SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 237 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
At 6 years of the Petoskey area’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $467K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The typical Petoskey home is worth about $467,000, up 6.1% in a year, 77% above the Michigan typical home. 61% of Petoskey households own their home.
| Petoskey | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,006 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6,201 jobs are based in Petoskey, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 7,987 in 2011 to 6,201.
Petoskey’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Since 2011, Petoskey has lost 1,786 jobs, to 6,201 in 2021. 32% of working residents work locally in Petoskey.
| Petoskey | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Petoskey is 0 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Petoskey since 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 8.9% of its 4,902 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
Petoskey beats the Michigan average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Petoskey | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Petoskey | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 9 reported in 2025, 1.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Petoskey weather station records that 124 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. The Petoskey weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Petoskey has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 7 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a lower July high than Petoskey.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Petoskey
About 5 of every 100 Petoskey residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
18% of the town is conserved land, across 21 parks and preserves.
38 places in Petoskey on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Petoskey.
City in Michigan, United States
Petoskey ( pə-TOSS-kee) is the largest city in and the county seat of Emmet County, Michigan, and is the largest settlement within the county. Petoskey has a population of 5,877 at the 2020 census, up from 5,670 at the 2010 census. Petoskey is part of Northern Michigan, and is one of the northernmost cities in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Petoskey is located on the southern shore of Little Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan. Petoskey sits directly across the bay from Harbor Springs, another Emmet County city. Petoskey is a popular Midwestern resort town. Petoskey lends its name to the Petoskey stone, a fossilized coral that is the state stone of Michigan.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Petoskey.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petoskey | #41 | A | C | B+ | A | A |
| Bear Creek Township | #197 | B+ | C− | — | A | A− |
| Resort Township | #8 | A+ | B | — | A | A− |
| Bay Shore | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bay View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bear Creek Township and Resort Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Bay Shore and Bay View aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Petoskey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Petoskey grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #41 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
That is 6 years of the area's median household income ($78,112 across the Petoskey, MI area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
17 notable people were born here, including Claude Shannon and Megan Boone.
