Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Whitehall's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B+, 262nd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. Its public schools beat 81% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation and 4% of its land is conserved. Whitehall’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, below both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest park or preserve is Funnell Field, at 33 acres.
Where Whitehall beats most towns.
Where Whitehall’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Whitehall is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 842 in 1870, a low of 842 in 1870, 2,909 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whitehall, 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 Whitehall.
Whitehall draws workers from Dalton Township and beyond, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4,015 jobs are based in Whitehall, 3.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.3 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Whitehall for work: only 18% work in town. 16% of Whitehall residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Whitehall grew to 4,015 in 2021, 741 more than in 2011.
| Whitehall | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its A− is the best School Grade on its borders; Montague Township (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Whitehall District Schools. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Whitehall Senior High School, with 597 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoreline Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 432 | – |
| Whitehall Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 597 | B |
| Whitehall Ealy Elem SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 431 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The FEMA risk score in Whitehall is 2 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Whitehall since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.5 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Whitehall’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Whitehall | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goodrich Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 2. Funnell Field | 0.1 mi | 33 |
| 3. Howmet Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Whitehall home is worth about $338,000, up 5.1% in a year, 28% above the Michigan typical home. 72% of households own their home in Whitehall.
| Whitehall | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $877 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Montague 4 Nw weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Whitehall has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 18° and about 69 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,217 U.S. towns with household incomes like Whitehall’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Whitehall beats the Michigan average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Whitehall | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Whitehall | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 44 to 23 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). Whitehall has grown 10% since 2020, to 3,205 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Whitehall | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Whitehall | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.9% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitehall. Close and well known come first.
39 mi National forestManistee National Forest
12 mi MuseumUSS LST-39312 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
5 mi Theme parkWildWater Adventure
12 mi MuseumMuskegon Museum of ArtManistee National Forest: RomanKahler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · WildWater Adventure: Larry Pieniazek, CC BY 2.5 · Muskegon Museum of Art: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whitehall
About 4 of every 100 Whitehall residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
5 notable people were born in Whitehall.
City in Michigan, United States
Whitehall is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,909 at the 2020 census. The city is located to the west of Whitehall Township. Montague is its neighbor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Whitehall.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitehall | #262 | B+ | B− | B | A− | C+ |
| Whitehall Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Montague Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Montague | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B |
| Fruitland Township | #439 | C+ | C− | — | B+ | B− |
Whitehall Township, Montague Township and Montague have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Whitehall Township, Montague Township, Montague and Fruitland Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Whitehall with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Whitehall grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #262 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and A− for schools.
That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($65,024 across the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Ruth Thompson and Adella M. Parker.
