Filer, Michigan

Charter township in Manistee County · population 2,318 (2020 Census)

Median home: $247,200
Household income: $74,675
Jan low / Jul high: 19° / 80°
Snow a year: 104 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 2
Median age: 47.8

Filer is a charter township of 2,318 people in Manistee County, Michigan. The median home is worth $247,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for cycling than 90% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 80% of Michigan towns, hipper than 75% of Michigan towns.

How Filer 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 Filer is worth $247,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $74,675, which is more affordable than 26% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $857 a month. 89.0% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Filer	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$247,200	$193,900
Median rent	$857	$955
Median household income	$74,675	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	2.8×
Homeownership	89.0%	86.8%
Median year built	1973	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	13.9%	—

Who lives in Filer

People	Filer	Typical Michigan town
Median age	47.8	43.7
Age 65 and over	27.6%	20.7%
Under 18	19.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.8%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	3.8%	10.4%
Veterans	12.7%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.4%	—
Work from home	7.1%	9.1%
Average commute	18.5 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	87.0%	88.8%

Weather in Filer

July highs average 79.7°F and January lows 18.6°F. About 36.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 103.8 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 140 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 Manistee 3Se station (1.4 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Filer since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on June 12, 2008 about 9.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 12, 2008.

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 6 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on July 12, 1973.

Severe weather in Manistee County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Manistee County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Manistee County has been included in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, 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
July 14, 2008	Severe Storm	DR-1777: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

Jobs and pay in Manistee County

Manistee County had 7,281 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $51,233 a year. Unemployment was 5.7% in 2023; in Filer itself the ACS puts it at 3.8%.

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 Filer

Oak Hill, MI
1.6 mi · 545 people · home $126,900
Manistee, MI
3.3 mi · 6,259 people · home $164,100
Grant, MI
5.1 mi · 925 people · home $252,100
Parkdale, MI
5.4 mi · 607 people · home $122,100
Manistee, MI
6.9 mi · 4,022 people · home $193,900
Free Soil, MI
7.0 mi · 842 people · home $220,900
Stronach, MI
8.0 mi · 834 people · home $165,600
Victory, MI
11.1 mi · 1,406 people · home $300,000

Filer questions

Is Filer, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Filer scores better for retirees than 71% of Michigan towns and quieter than 62%. 27.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 47.8).

How much does a house cost in Filer?

The median owner-occupied home in Filer is valued at $247,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $74,675, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $857 a month.

What is the weather like in Filer?

July highs average 79.7°F and January lows 18.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 36.3 inches of precipitation a year and 103.8 inches of snow.

Does Filer get tornadoes?

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Filer since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on June 12, 2008. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Filer's Census boundary (GEOID 2610128040). 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.