Carp Lake, Michigan

Township in Ontonagon County · population 582 (2020 Census)

Median home: $67,000
Household income: $45,278
Jan low / Jul high: 3° / 78°
Snow a year: 180 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 63.6

Carp Lake is a township of 582 people in Ontonagon County, Michigan. The median home is worth $67,000, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks quieter than 99% of Michigan towns, better for first-time buyers than 98% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 94% of Michigan towns.

Carp Lake in our rankings:

How Carp Lake ranks

Percentile among Michigan towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Michigan towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Carp Lake is worth $67,000, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 1.5 times the median household income of $45,278, which is more affordable than 99% of Michigan towns. 94.4% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Michigan towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Carp Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$67,000	$193,900
Median rent	—	$955
Median household income	$45,278	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	1.5×	2.8×
Homeownership	94.4%	86.8%
Median year built	1963	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	39.7%	—

Who lives in Carp Lake

People	Carp Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median age	63.6	43.7
Age 65 and over	42.9%	20.7%
Under 18	5.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.2%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	17.6%	10.4%
Veterans	15.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.0%	—
Work from home	8.2%	9.1%
Average commute	26.3 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	83.1%	88.8%

Weather in Carp Lake

July highs average 77.5°F and January lows 3.2°F. About 42.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 179.5 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 2 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 202 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Bergland Dam station (12.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Carp Lake since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an F1, struck on June 30, 1953 about 2.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 30, 1953.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on July 27, 2026.

Severe weather in Ontonagon County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Ontonagon County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Ontonagon County has been included in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, freezing.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
June 18, 2013	Flood	DR-4121: Flooding
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
May 6, 2002	Flood	DR-1413: Flooding

Jobs and pay in Ontonagon County

Ontonagon County had 1,338 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $35,632 a year. Unemployment was 7% in 2023; in Carp Lake itself the ACS puts it at 4.4%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Carp Lake

Ontonagon, MI
19.2 mi · 1,285 people · home $105,200
Ontonagon, MI
19.9 mi · 2,253 people · home $120,500
Wakefield, MI
22.0 mi · 1,702 people · home $79,100
Bessemer, MI
25.4 mi · 1,805 people · home $69,900
Ironwood, MI
25.7 mi · 2,214 people · home $152,600
Bessemer, MI
26.9 mi · 1,135 people · home $103,900
Stannard, MI
27.1 mi · 645 people · home $109,800
Greenland, MI
29.2 mi · 628 people · home $89,600

Carp Lake questions

Is Carp Lake, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Carp Lake scores better for retirees than 91% of Michigan towns and quieter than 99%. 42.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 63.6).

How much does a house cost in Carp Lake?

The median owner-occupied home in Carp Lake is valued at $67,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $45,278, so homes cost about 1.5 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Carp Lake?

July highs average 77.5°F and January lows 3.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.6 inches of precipitation a year and 179.5 inches of snow.

Does Carp Lake get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Carp Lake since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on June 30, 1953. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Carp Lake's Census boundary (GEOID 2613113520). Comparisons use the median of Michigan towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.