Forest, Michigan

Township in Missaukee County · population 1,184 (2020 Census)

Median home: $164,200
Household income: $52,581
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 80°
Snow a year: 74 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 5
Median age: 38.4

Forest is a township of 1,184 people in Missaukee County, Michigan. The median home is worth $164,200, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for a vacation home than 73% of Michigan towns, better for first-time buyers than 70% of Michigan towns.

How Forest 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 Forest is worth $164,200, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.1 times the median household income of $52,581, which is more affordable than 37% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $1,128 a month. 72.8% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Forest	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$164,200	$193,900
Median rent	$1,128	$955
Median household income	$52,581	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.1×	2.8×
Homeownership	72.8%	86.8%
Median year built	1981	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	20.1%	—

Who lives in Forest

People	Forest	Typical Michigan town
Median age	38.4	43.7
Age 65 and over	11.4%	20.7%
Under 18	25.7%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.6%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	20.9%	10.4%
Veterans	7.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.5%	—
Work from home	2.2%	9.1%
Average commute	29.9 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	89.3%	88.8%

Weather in Forest

July highs average 80.4°F and January lows 9.9°F. About 33.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 74.0 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 5 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 177 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 Lake City Exp Farm station (5.3 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Forest since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on September 3, 1964 about 4.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 31, 1998.

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 8 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on February 24, 2017.

Severe weather in Missaukee County since 1996

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

Missaukee County has been included in 7 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 Missaukee County

Missaukee County had 4,213 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $46,075 a year. Unemployment was 4.8% in 2023; in Forest itself the ACS puts it at 7.3%.

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 Forest

Lake City, MI
4.2 mi · 829 people · home $170,300
Pioneer, MI
5.9 mi · 508 people · home $133,300
Caldwell, MI
5.9 mi · 1,394 people · home $154,800
Reeder, MI
6.0 mi · 1,199 people · home $168,400
Lake, MI
8.3 mi · 2,827 people · home $230,300
Bloomfield, MI
8.5 mi · 574 people · home $193,100
Norwich, MI
11.0 mi · 631 people · home $170,100
Riverside, MI
11.3 mi · 1,124 people · home $206,700

Forest questions

Is Forest, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Forest scores better for retirees than 17% of Michigan towns and quieter than 53%. 11.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 38.4).

How much does a house cost in Forest?

The median owner-occupied home in Forest is valued at $164,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $52,581, so homes cost about 3.1 times income. Median rent is $1,128 a month.

What is the weather like in Forest?

July highs average 80.4°F and January lows 9.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 33.4 inches of precipitation a year and 74.0 inches of snow.

Does Forest get tornadoes?

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Forest since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on September 3, 1964. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Forest's Census boundary (GEOID 2611329440). 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.