County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Wells Township’s story
Wells Township in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Wells TownshipMI
A town of 218.
7 bordering townsMap →
County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge · Photo: Yooperann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
218
2025 Census estimate · +1.9% since 2020
Median home value
$178K
Census ACS
Household income
$58K
median
Median age
46.0
years
Jobs based here
9
A commuter town
Is Wells Township a good place to live?
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Wells Township, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 702 in Michigan we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Wells Township. Wells Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
218 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Ewing TownshipForsyth TownshipHarris TownshipBreen TownshipSpalding TownshipWest Branch TownshipCornell TownshipWells Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Wells Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wells Township, and how to reach them.
PowerUpper Peninsula Power Company28.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCountry Log Apts water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Wells 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 hereWells Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49818, 49831, 4984149818 71% · 49831 24% · 49841 4%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 Wells Township.
Schools
The schools Wells Township’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Wells Township School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Township SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 8 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Wells Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Wells Township for work: only 2% work in town. At 34 minutes, Wells Township’s average trip to work is where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2011, Wells Township has lost 21 jobs, to 9 in 2021.
2%work in town
| Wells Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Wells Township2%
Forsyth Township25%
Marquette20%
Escanaba7%
Ishpeming5%
31 mi
median commute distance
9
jobs based in Wells Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazards
Low risk in Wells Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Wells Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Wells Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Wells Township’s July high is 80°F.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter9–27°
Spring27–52°
Summer52–77°
Fall35–55°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Wells Township is
Wells Township beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Wells Township.
| Wells Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
8 better20 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Wells Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.9% |
OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group
28.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0.2% of Wells Township is conserved land
119 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Wells Township is 0.8 miles per square mile.
0.2%conserved
| Wells Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
0.2%
conserved · 154 of 98,610 acres
119 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Escanaba River State Forest - Gwinn Unit (South) | 26.3 mi | 30,267 |
| 2. Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit | 2.7 mi | 1,219 |
| 3. Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wells Township
18pages on Wells Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Wells Township; the nearest are
Bay de Noc Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Escanaba27.6 mi$5,712 in-state tuitionNorthern Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Marquette34.4 mi$14,277 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Wells Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Wells Township for work
Where Wells Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
9jobs based in Wells Township
2%of working residents work in town
31 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Wells Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Wells Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 213.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 155 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,047 ft
Questions about Wells Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wells Township, MI a good place to live?
Wells Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.