Frost, Michigan

Township in Clare County · population 1,038 (2020 Census)

Median home: $148,100
Household income: $46,667
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 81°
Snow a year: 65 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 5
Median age: 59.7

Frost is a township of 1,038 people in Clare County, Michigan. The median home is worth $148,100, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 98% of Michigan towns, quieter than 92% of Michigan towns.

How Frost 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 Frost is worth $148,100, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.2 times the median household income of $46,667, which is more affordable than 31% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $864 a month. 93.3% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Frost	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$148,100	$193,900
Median rent	$864	$955
Median household income	$46,667	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.2×	2.8×
Homeownership	93.3%	86.8%
Median year built	1977	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	58.7%	—

Who lives in Frost

People	Frost	Typical Michigan town
Median age	59.7	43.7
Age 65 and over	31.2%	20.7%
Under 18	16.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.9%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	18.6%	10.4%
Veterans	15.3%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.1%	—
Work from home	14.9%	9.1%
Average commute	48.9 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	70.1%	88.8%

Weather in Frost

July highs average 80.5°F and January lows 10.3°F. About 32.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 64.8 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 8 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 176 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 Houghton Lake 2Nw station (14.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Frost since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on July 5, 2024 about 9.2 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 5, 2024.

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 16 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on July 13, 2003.

Severe weather in Clare County since 1996

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

Clare County has been included in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
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
September 18, 1986	Flood	DR-774: Severe Storms & Flooding

Jobs and pay in Clare County

Clare County had 7,261 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,949 a year. Unemployment was 6.3% in 2023; in Frost itself the ACS puts it at 11.4%.

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 Frost

Hayes, MI
3.8 mi · 4,642 people · home $93,700
Franklin, MI
6.3 mi · 730 people · home $157,200
Harrison, MI
6.5 mi · 2,150 people · home $135,100
Hamilton, MI
6.6 mi · 1,785 people · home $110,500
Greenwood, MI
8.1 mi · 1,108 people · home $181,700
Roscommon, MI
8.6 mi · 4,397 people · home $137,700
Hatton, MI
11.4 mi · 893 people · home $147,800
Arthur, MI
12.0 mi · 676 people · home $234,600

Frost questions

Is Frost, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Frost scores better for retirees than 37% of Michigan towns and quieter than 92%. 31.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 59.7).

How much does a house cost in Frost?

The median owner-occupied home in Frost is valued at $148,100 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $46,667, so homes cost about 3.2 times income. Median rent is $864 a month.

What is the weather like in Frost?

July highs average 80.5°F and January lows 10.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 32.4 inches of precipitation a year and 64.8 inches of snow.

Does Frost get tornadoes?

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Frost since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on July 5, 2024. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Frost's Census boundary (GEOID 2603530900). 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.