Sault Ste. Marie gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $199K, 3.2 years of the Sault Ste. Marie area’s $62K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 418th of 697 in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 16 places on the National Register. Sault Ste. Marie’s typical journey to work is 12 minutes, against 25 minutes in Michigan’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 29 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Its National Register listings include St. Mary's Falls Canal and Old Fort Brady.

StrongestA⁺Hazard risk A⁺History AOutdoorsWeakestC⁻Jobs & income

What makes Sault Ste. Marie stand out

Where Sault Ste. Marie beats most towns.

St. Mary's Falls Canal

HistoryA⁺

Settled in 1668

A history going back 358 years.

Natural hazardsA⁺

Very low risk of storm and flood damage

FEMA National Risk Index.

St. Mary's Falls Canal · National Register of Historic Places

Sault Ste. Marie’s story

358 years in pictures

St. Mary's Falls Canal is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1668, is the earliest of any Michigan town we grade.

Census counts: 596 in 1860, a peak of 18,722 in 1960, 13,337 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 2 maps from 1951 on.

16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1668Sault Ste. Marie is settled

Explore the history →

How Sault Ste. Marie grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Sault Ste. Marie is from typical.

How grading works

Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 2% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA⁺Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.6 of 20; 9.7% of households have no car; 11.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Jobs & incomeC⁻Open →SchoolsB⁺Open →HealthChippewa County War Memorial Hospital 1.8 miles awayCOpen →SafetyMore crime per resident than 65% of U.S. townsC⁺Open →Cost of livingBOpen →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors8% conserved landAOpen →History25 notable people born hereA⁺Open →Civic life4.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

ClimateSnowy winters, 76° summer afternoons, 120″ of snow–Open →Housing market41 days on market–Open →Who lives here–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Sault Ste. Marie: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Sault Ste. Marie, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerCloverland Electric Co-op14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterSault Ste Marie water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet4 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpWaste Management711 Spruce Street WestOpenStreetMap

SchoolsSault Ste. Marie Area SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereSault Ste Marie City ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021

ZIP code4978349783 100%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 Sault Ste. Marie.

Sault Ste. Marie gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Michigan.

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A⁺

Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Sault Ste. Marie is lower

64% of Sault Ste. Marie’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 30%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities.

2risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold waves

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters5 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

SchoolsB⁺

Public schools in Sault Ste. Marie beat 71% of Michigan districts

The largest public high school is Sault Area High School, with 688 students. Public schools: the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.

71%of MI districts it outscoresB⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Joseph K Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8	Grades K–8	601	B⁻
Sault Area High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12	Grades 8–12	688	B⁺

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsSault Ste. Marie Area Schools Vs. the neighborsBehind its graded neighbor Every school9 schools · Sault Area High School Questions“Are Sault Ste. Marie’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation

OutdoorsA

Open space protected for good: 7.6% of Sault Ste. Marie

The biggest park or preserve is Methodist Mission Reserve, at 463 acres. Across 27 parks and preserves: 11 miles of trail. Sault Ste. Marie’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile.

#256for trails in MI

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	7.6%	4.4%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.6 miles per square mile	0.3	0.4

7.6%

conserved · 971 of 12,723 acres

11 mi

of trails · 0.6 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit	5.9 mi	459
2. Ashmun Creek Trails	0.8 mi	273
3. Sault Seal Recreation Area	0.6 mi	34

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map11 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk5.9 miles of trail · Lake Superior State Forest - Sault Ste. Marie Unit Conserved land7.6% conserved · 971 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Sault Ste. Marie?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Who lives here

Young adults are more common in Sault Ste. Marie than in Michigan

Adults 18 to 34 are a third of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). 17% of Sault Ste. Marie residents are 65 or older. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 27% of adults 25 and older, vs 32% across Michigan.

34median age · MI 40.2

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Median age	34 years	42.5 years	40.5 years
Aged 65 or older	17%	19%	18%

Sault Ste. MarieMichiganUnited States

MIU.S.

Ages · share of residents

18%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma6%

High school32%

Some college26%

Associate’s9%

Bachelor’s16%

Graduate11%

Women and men · all residents

53% women, 47% men

About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.6 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.3, men 31.9.

Ages and education in Sault Ste. Marie
	Sault Ste. Marie	MI	U.S.
Under 10	10%	11.2%	11.6%
10 to 17	8.2%	10.1%	10.3%
18 to 24	18.1%	9.2%	9.1%
25 to 34	15.3%	13.2%	13.7%
35 to 44	9.8%	12.2%	13.2%
45 to 54	9.9%	12%	12.2%
55 to 64	12.1%	13.6%	12.7%
65 to 74	8.8%	11.2%	10.2%
75 and older	7.6%	7.4%	7%
No diploma	6.1%	7.9%	10.4%
High school	32.3%	28%	26%
Some college	25.9%	21.9%	19.1%
Associate’s	8.7%	9.8%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	16.4%	19.7%	21.6%
Graduate	10.6%	12.7%	14.1%

Full pageSault Ste. Marie by the numbersOpen the page

Ages34 median age · 16% are 65 or older Schooling27% have a four-year degree Homes61% own their home · Homeowners Income$55K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

HealthC

On CDC estimates, Sault Ste. Marie is less healthy than 69% of U.S. towns

Against the 7,513 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sault Ste. Marie’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.

In Sault Ste. Marie, nearly a fifth of adults worry about having enough food. Among adults here, 29% have been diagnosed with depression and 35% feel lonely.

31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	21%	18%	17%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	29%	27%	23%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	35%	32%	33%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	14%	14%

32 measures vs. Michigan

0 better23 too close to call9 worse

What stands out	Sault Ste. Marie	MI
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	13.6%	10.2%
More adults without reliable transportation	10.8%	8.3%
More adults facing food insecurity	18.7%	15.4%

Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital

1.8 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

31st

percentile among MI towns

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby1.8 miles to an ER · Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent mental distress Every CDC estimateBetter than MI on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

HousingCost of living grade B

Sault Ste. Marie earns a B for cost of living

Zillow values the typical Sault Ste. Marie home at about $199,000, up 5.1% in a year, 25% below the Michigan typical home. In Sault Ste. Marie, the going rate for rent is $804 a month. For households locally, the share who own their home is 61%.

$199KZillow home value

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	61%	84%	73%
Median rent	$804 a month	$1,047 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Sault Ste. Marie$199K

Michigan$264K

Market temperature

days on market

99.4%

sale-to-list price

+5.1%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 5.1% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.6 years of income Rents$804 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsBehind its graded neighbor

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Sault Ste. Marie stands out in Michigan and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler

The Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld weather station records that 120 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. The Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld weather station records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.

Expect cold, snowy winters and cool summers in Sault Ste. Marie. July afternoons reach 76° and January nights drop to 8°.

120″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter11–26°

Spring28–48°

Summer53–74°

Fall38–53°

Oct 11

typical first frost

May 9

typical last frost

+2.0°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 76°, January lows 8°Rain & snow120″ of snow a winter · 37 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+2.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

SafetyC⁺

Crime per resident in Sault Ste. Marie is higher than in 65% of U.S. towns

For Sault Ste. Marie, the level of violent crime is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 8 per 1,000 residents.

35%of U.S. towns report more crimeC⁺Safety Grade

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	3.9 per 1,000 residents	1.9	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	8 per 1,000 residents	7.8	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Sault Ste. Marie3.9

Michigan4.3

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Sault Ste. Marie8

Michigan13

U.S.15.5

35th

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

38th

percentile among MI towns

violent crimes reported in 2025

106

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type3.9 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsSteady since 2023 Vs. the neighbors2 bordering towns Questions“Is Sault Ste. Marie, MI safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁻

Sault Ste. Marie has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 3,951 people commute in

The average commute for its 4,545 working residents takes 12 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.

Among workers in Sault Ste. Marie, 4.5% do their job from home. 60% of the town’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Kinross Township (5%), Soo Township (3%) and Marquette (2%). Since 2011, Sault Ste. Marie has lost 688 jobs, to 6,681 in 2021.

60%work in town

	Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	60%	5.9%	8%
Work from home	4.5%	10%	11%
Median household income	$55,000	$77,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Sault Ste. Marie60%

Kinross Township5%

Soo Township3%

Marquette2%

Bay Mills Township2%

3 mi

median commute distance

6,681

jobs based in Sault Ste. Marie

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns

Full pageSault Ste. Marie’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here6,681 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work60% work in Sault Ste. Marie Commute times12 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 3 miles

Census LEHD 2021 · ACS

Nearby attractions

Soo Locks and 4 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sault Ste. Marie. Close and well known come first.

All 15 attractions →

in town DamSoo Locks

in town MuseumSS Valley Camp

in town MuseumTower of History

35 mi MuseumGreat Lakes Shipwreck Museum

35 mi LighthouseWhitefish Point Light

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Soo Locks: USGS, Public domain · SS Valley Camp: Cason at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Tower of History: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Whitefish Point Light: Browermd, CC BY-SA 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Sault Ste. Marie

20pages on Sault Ste. Marie

The big questions

SchoolsB⁺Beat 71% of MI districts · 9 schools SafetyC⁺3.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingB$199K typical home · up 5.1% in a year Work & commuteC⁻$55K median household income · 6,681 jobs here Natural hazardsA⁺FEMA risk higher than 2% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsA11 mi of trails · 8% conserved land PlacesAttractions15 nearby · Soo Locks under 1 mi LibraryASuperior District Library CollegesLake Superior State University, in town

The story

HistoryA⁺Settled 1668 · 16 on the National Register Famous people25 born in Sault Ste. Marie Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 120 residents Climate76° summer highs · 120″ of snow

Day to day

News17 recent stories about Sault Ste. Marie WeatherHandbookZIP code 49783 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Sault Ste. Marie

Lake Superior State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Sault Ste. MarieIn town$14,890 in-state tuition Bay Mills Community CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Brimley11.3 mi$3,480 in-state tuition

About 13 of every 100 Sault Ste. Marie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

13% of Sault Ste. Marie is in college

Lake Superior State University1,564 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $12,822
Graduate: 51%

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

16 places in Sault Ste. Marie on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

St. Mary's Falls CanalBuilt 1855 · National Historic Landmark

John Johnston House

Old Fort Brady

New Fort Brady

Famous people from Sault Ste. Marie

25 notable people were born in Sault Ste. Marie.

See all 25 →

Terry O'QuinnAmerican actor · born 1952

Taffy AbelIce hockey player from the United States · 1900–1964

Bob BemerAmerican computer scientist and aerospace engineer · 1920–2004

Dick LundyAmerican animator · 1907–1990

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft19th century American Indian literary author · 1800–1842

Peter StrzokFormer FBI agent · born 1970

About Sault Ste. Marie

City in Michigan, United States

Official town website ↗

Sault Ste. Marie ( SOO saynt mə-REE; Ojibwe: Baawitigong) is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a recorded population of 13,337 from the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette. It is the primary city of the Sault Ste. Marie, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Chippewa County and had a population of 36,785 at the 2020 census. Sault Ste. Marie was settled by mostly French colonists in 1668, making it the oldest city in Michigan. Sault Ste. Marie is located along the St. Marys River, which flows from Lake Sup…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1668
Area: 20 sq mi
Elevation: 961 ft
ZIP code: 49783
Area code: 906

Sault Ste. Marie’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Sault Ste. Marie.

Explore the map →

Soo TownshipSugar Island TownshipSault Ste. Marie

Soo Township

SE · 3% of Sault Ste. Marie workers commute here

Visit

Sugar Island Township

Visit

How the neighbors grade

Town	MI rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Sault Ste. Marie	#418	B⁻	B	C⁺	B⁺	C
Soo Township	#247	B⁺	A⁻	—	B⁺	C⁺
Sugar Island Township	—	—	—	—	—	—

Soo Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Sugar Island Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sault Ste. Marie with a neighbor →

Questions about Sault Ste. Marie

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Sault Ste. Marie, MI a good place to live?

Sault Ste. Marie grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #418 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.

Is Sault Ste. Marie, 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.

What is Sault Ste. Marie, MI known for?

25 notable people were born here, including Terry O'Quinn and Taffy Abel.

Post to Sault Ste. Marie

Check your email

Sault Ste. MarieMI

Is Sault Ste. Marie a good place to live?

What makes Sault Ste. Marie stand out

358 years in pictures

How Sault Ste. Marie grades

Moving to Sault Ste. Marie: who provides what

The data

Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Sault Ste. Marie is lower

Public schools in Sault Ste. Marie beat 71% of Michigan districts

Open space protected for good: 7.6% of Sault Ste. Marie

Young adults are more common in Sault Ste. Marie than in Michigan

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

On CDC estimates, Sault Ste. Marie is less healthy than 69% of U.S. towns

Sault Ste. Marie earns a B for cost of living

Typical home value

Sault Ste. Marie stands out in Michigan and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler

Typical low → high °F

Crime per resident in Sault Ste. Marie is higher than in 65% of U.S. towns

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Sault Ste. Marie has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 3,951 people commute in

Where working residents work

Soo Locks and 4 more within 40 miles

Everything we know about Sault Ste. Marie

Colleges nearby

13% of Sault Ste. Marie is in college

Landmarks

Famous people from Sault Ste. Marie

About Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie’s neighbors

Questions about Sault Ste. Marie