Ellis, Michigan

Township in Cheboygan County · population 557 (2020 Census)

Median home: $244,200
Household income: $76,563
Jan low / Jul high: 8° / 80°
Snow a year: 98 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 3
Median age: 59.5

Ellis is a township of 557 people in Cheboygan County, Michigan. The median home is worth $244,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for a vacation home than 87% of Michigan towns, quieter than 86% of Michigan towns.

How Ellis 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 Ellis is worth $244,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.2 times the median household income of $76,563, which is more affordable than 31% of Michigan towns. 95.6% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Ellis	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$244,200	$193,900
Median rent	—	$955
Median household income	$76,563	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.2×	2.8×
Homeownership	95.6%	86.8%
Median year built	1994	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	26.4%	—

Who lives in Ellis

People	Ellis	Typical Michigan town
Median age	59.5	43.7
Age 65 and over	30.6%	20.7%
Under 18	11.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.6%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	11.1%	10.4%
Veterans	11.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.2%	—
Work from home	13.9%	9.1%
Average commute	30.1 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	85.1%	88.8%

Weather in Ellis

July highs average 79.9°F and January lows 7.8°F. About 32.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 97.5 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 8 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 200 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 Vanderbilt 11Ene station (13.0 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Ellis since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on October 18, 2007 about 7.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on September 1, 2014.

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 3 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on May 22, 2011.

Severe weather in Cheboygan County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Cheboygan County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

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

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Flood	DR-4925: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
July 22, 2025	Severe Ice Storm	DR-4880: Severe Winter Storm
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

Jobs and pay in Cheboygan County

Cheboygan County had 6,140 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,915 a year. Unemployment was 8.2% in 2023; in Ellis itself the ACS puts it at 1.2%.

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 Ellis

Koehler, MI
5.8 mi · 1,193 people · home $155,800
Mentor, MI
5.8 mi · 857 people · home $179,600
Indian River, MI
7.0 mi · 1,950 people · home $314,100
Tuscarora, MI
7.2 mi · 3,080 people · home $253,700
Nunda, MI
8.0 mi · 1,195 people · home $172,500
Wilmot, MI
8.6 mi · 822 people · home $168,200
Mullett, MI
11.6 mi · 1,236 people · home $276,100
Aloha, MI
11.7 mi · 937 people · home $207,400

Ellis questions

Is Ellis, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Ellis scores better for retirees than 63% of Michigan towns and quieter than 86%. 30.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 59.5).

How much does a house cost in Ellis?

The median owner-occupied home in Ellis is valued at $244,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $76,563, so homes cost about 3.2 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Ellis?

July highs average 79.9°F and January lows 7.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 32.4 inches of precipitation a year and 97.5 inches of snow.

Does Ellis get tornadoes?

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Ellis since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on October 18, 2007. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Ellis's Census boundary (GEOID 2603125400). 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.