Emerson, Michigan

Township in Gratiot County · population 849 (2020 Census)

Median home: $183,700
Household income: $78,000
Jan low / Jul high: 15° / 82°
Snow a year: 39 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 15
Median age: 47.2

Emerson is a township of 849 people in Gratiot County, Michigan. The median home is worth $183,700, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks easier by car than 85% of Michigan towns, better for families than 79% of Michigan towns, more upscale than 77% of Michigan towns.

How Emerson 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 Emerson is worth $183,700, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 2.4 times the median household income of $78,000, which is more affordable than 80% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $825 a month. 88.4% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Emerson	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$183,700	$193,900
Median rent	$825	$955
Median household income	$78,000	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	2.4×	2.8×
Homeownership	88.4%	86.8%
Median year built	1958	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	6.2%	—

Who lives in Emerson

People	Emerson	Typical Michigan town
Median age	47.2	43.7
Age 65 and over	22.2%	20.7%
Under 18	16.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.4%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	6.5%	10.4%
Veterans	11.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.5%	—
Work from home	10.6%	9.1%
Average commute	24.7 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	87.5%	88.8%

Weather in Emerson

July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 15.0°F. About 34.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 39.3 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 11 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 156 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 Alma station (6.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

15 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Emerson since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 8 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on June 15, 1982 about 6.4 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 8 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on August 9, 2011.

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 13 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on September 12, 2021.

Severe weather in Gratiot County since 1996

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

Gratiot County has been included in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Flood	DR-4925: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
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
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow

Jobs and pay in Gratiot County

Gratiot County had 12,359 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $54,845 a year. Unemployment was 4.4% in 2023; in Emerson itself the ACS puts it at 2.7%.

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 Emerson

Ithaca, MI
4.4 mi · 2,853 people · home $133,200
Breckenridge, MI
5.7 mi · 1,238 people · home $111,500
Lafayette, MI
5.9 mi · 516 people · home $164,300
Bethany, MI
6.1 mi · 1,773 people · home $172,400
St. Louis, MI
6.1 mi · 7,010 people · home $119,200
North Star, MI
6.5 mi · 895 people · home $184,300
Alma, MI
6.6 mi · 9,488 people · home $115,900
Arcada, MI
7.0 mi · 1,671 people · home $218,900

Emerson questions

Is Emerson, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Emerson scores better for retirees than 48% of Michigan towns and quieter than 54%. 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 47.2).

How much does a house cost in Emerson?

The median owner-occupied home in Emerson is valued at $183,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $78,000, so homes cost about 2.4 times income. Median rent is $825 a month.

What is the weather like in Emerson?

July highs average 82.2°F and January lows 15.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 34.5 inches of precipitation a year and 39.3 inches of snow.

Does Emerson get tornadoes?

15 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Emerson since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on June 15, 1982. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Emerson's Census boundary (GEOID 2605725880). 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.