FEMA puts 56% of Wolf Lake’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 18% to tornadoes. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 87% of U.S. communities.

13risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind

Full pageWolf Lake’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters12 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.4 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

With only 0.2 jobs per working resident, most people in Wolf Lake work out of town

Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles. Since 2011, Wolf Lake has added 144 jobs, to 491 in 2021. For most workers, Wolf Lake is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. The income of the median household for Wolf Lake comes to $52,000, below both Michigan’s towns ($77,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000).

3%work in town

	Wolf Lake	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Median household income	$52,000	$77,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	14%	8.9%	9.6%
Average trip to work	23 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	2.7%	5.9%	8%

Where working residents work

In Wolf Lake3%

Muskegon18%

Norton Shores7%

Egelston Township6%

Grand Rapids5%

13 mi

median commute distance

491

jobs based in Wolf Lake

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageWolf Lake’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here491 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work3% work in Wolf Lake Commute times23 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 13 miles

Census LEHD 2021 · ACS

Climate

Wolf Lake: snowy winters and pleasant summers

The typical July afternoon high for Wolf Lake comes to 82°F, against 82°F in Michigan’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.

87″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–34°

Spring35–57°

Summer57–80°

Fall41–60°

Oct 19

typical first frost

Apr 30

typical last frost

+1.7°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageWolf Lake’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 82°, January lows 18°Rain & snow87″ of snow a winter · 36 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.7° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Housing

Homes in Wolf Lake are worth about $223K, by Zillow’s estimate

The share of households in Wolf Lake who live in a home they own: 94%. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.2%.

$223KZillow home value

Typical home value

Wolf Lake$223K

Michigan$264K

+4.2%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageWolf Lake’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 4.2% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.3 years of income Rents$1,310 a month · Median rent

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

Health

A larger share of adults in Wolf Lake have been diagnosed with depression than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town

Among adults in Wolf Lake, 21% report frequent mental distress. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Wolf Lake is ahead of Michigan on 1 and behind on 12.

	Wolf Lake	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	45%	37%	35%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	31%	27%	23%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	21%	18%	17%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	20%	15%	14%

32 measures vs. Michigan

1 better19 too close to call12 worse

What stands out	Wolf Lake	MI
Fewer adults who have had cancer	7.8%	8.9%
More smokers	19.8%	14.6%

Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital

9.5 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

Full pageWolf Lake’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby9.5 miles to an ER · Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent mental distress Every CDC estimateBetter than MI on 1 of 32

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

Outdoors

Conservation land takes up 0.8% of Wolf Lake

There are 1.2 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Wolf Lake: 2, covering 11 acres. For Wolf Lake, the trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile.

0.8%conserved

	Wolf Lake	Michigan towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	0.8%	4.4%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.3 miles per square mile	0.3	0.4

0.8%

conserved · 21 of 2,495 acres

1.2 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Wolf Lake County Park	—	6
2. Muskegon State Game Area	—	5

Full pageWolf Lake’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.2 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk6 acres · Wolf Lake County Park Conserved land0.8% conserved · 21 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Wolf Lake?”

Nearby attractions

Michigan's Adventure and 12 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wolf Lake. Close and well known come first.

All 18 attractions →

11 mi Theme parkMichigan's Adventure

29 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

7 mi MuseumUSS LST-393

32 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park 7 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena 30 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater

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

Photo credits

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Wolf Lake

15pages on Wolf Lake

The big questions

HealthBetter than MI on 1 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$223K typical home · up 4.2% in a year Work & commute$52K median household income · 491 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors1 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesAttractions18 nearby · Muskegon Museum of Art 7 mi LibraryEgelston Township Branch Library CollegesMuskegon Community College is 4.2 mi away

The story

Climate82° summer highs · 87″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Wolf Lake

Muskegon Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Muskegon4.2 mi$7,250 in-state tuition

About 6 of every 100 Wolf Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Wolf Lake for work

Where Wolf Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

491jobs based in Wolf Lake

3%of working residents work in town

13 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2021

About Wolf Lake

Census-designated place in Michigan, United States

Wolf Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population of Wolf Lake was 5,034, up from 4,104 in 2010. As an unincorporated community, Wolf Lake is governed by Egelston Township.

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

Area: 3.9 sq mi
Elevation: 673 ft

Questions about Wolf Lake

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

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Wolf Lake has grown 23% from 2010 to 2020

Moving to Wolf Lake: who provides what

The data

The biggest natural risk in Wolf Lake is inland flooding, at a very low overall level