Sand LakeMI
Home to 1,348 people, this town lies in Michigan.
Is Sand Lake a good place to live?
39% of residents are 65 or older in Sand Lake, where Michigan’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Of the 702 Michigan towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Sand Lake. 33% of the land in Sand Lake is conserved, above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Huron National Forest, 3,365 acres with 10.2 miles of trail. We don’t grade Sand Lake yet; the figures below are still real.
1,348 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Sand Lake: who provides what
Sand Lake is unincorporated, so Iosco 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 Sand Lake.
Sand Lake has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, Sand Lake sits below 95% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Sand Lake break down as 56% from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sand Lake has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
Count the trails in 3 parks and preserves and they come to 14 miles. Sand Lake’s trail network density is 0.9 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 3, covering 3,386 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huron National Forest | 10.2 mi | 3,365 |
| 2. Sand Lake Recreation Area | — | 19 |
| 3. Floyd Lake Boating Access Site | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Sand Lake’s workers commute out
Half the trips to work are shorter than 27 miles. Sand Lake’s average commute stands at 37 minutes. The top destinations are Tawas City (8%), Plainfield Township (7%) and East Tawas (5%). For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 16%.
| Sand Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sand Lake stands out in Michigan and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
Against the Michigan average, Sand Lake comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 13. In Sand Lake, 26% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% have diabetes, 12% binge drink.
| Sand Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sand Lake | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.4% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 11.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 12.5% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Sand Lake
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sand Lake; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Sand Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
100% of working residents leave Sand Lake for work
Where Sand Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Sand Lake
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Sand Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP had a population of 1,418 at the 2020 census. The CDP occupies portions of Grant Township, Plainfield Township, and Wilber Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 16 sq mi
Questions about Sand Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sand Lake, MI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Sand Lake yet; the figures below are still real.