Mormon Print Shop · National Register of Historic Places
St. James Township’s story
131 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1895St. James Township is settled
St. James TownshipMI
A town of 257, settled in 1895.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Charles W. Bash (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
257
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Median home value
$327K
Census ACS
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
54.8
years
Jobs based here
102
Balanced
Is St. James Township a good place to live?
The biggest place to walk is Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area, 11,186 acres with 16 miles of trail. St. James Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
257 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Peaine TownshipSt. James Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to St. James Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in St. James Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet1 providers39% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have St. James Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereSt James Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4978249782 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 St. James Township.
Natural hazards
Top of a very low hazard risk in St. James Township: inland flooding
St. James Township’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 4 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 71% come from inland flooding and 21% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 96% of U.S. communities.
4risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools St. James Township’s kids attend
Public schools: Beaver Island Community School. Its one school is below. Enrollment at St. James Township’s public school: 50 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Island Community SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 50 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
The average trip to work in St. James Township is shorter than in most of Michigan or the rest of the country
Between 2011 and 2021, jobs in St. James Township rose by 51, to 102. Only 8 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a higher share of working residents who work in town than St. James Township. The top destinations are Peaine Township (11%), East Jordan (4%) and Elk Rapids Township (3%). The middle household income for St. James Township comes to $63,000, where Michigan’s towns sit at $77,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000.
41%work in town
| St. James Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 9 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In St. James Township41%
Peaine Township11%
East Jordan4%
Elk Rapids Township3%
Hayes Township3%
3 mi
median commute distance
102
jobs based in St. James Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Outdoors
Protected land: 5.3% of St. James Township
In St. James Township, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. Trails total 24 miles in 7 parks and preserves.
5.3%conserved
| St. James Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
5.3%
conserved · 10,661 of 200,879 acres
24 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area | 16 mi | 11,186 |
| 2. Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge | — | 282 |
| 3. George and Althea Petritz Nature Preserve | 0.2 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St. James Township
15pages on St. James Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of St. James Township; the nearest are
North Central Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Petoskey44.4 mi$5,430 in-state tuitionBay Mills Community CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Brimley65.5 mi$3,480 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 St. James Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About St. James Township
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
St. James is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 145 at the 2020 census. The community is located within St. James Township. Located on the northern coast of Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, St. James was the county seat of Manitou County during the county's existence from 1855 to 1895.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 600 ft
- Area code
- 231
Questions about St. James Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is St. James Township, MI a good place to live?
St. James Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.