Lake, Michigan

Charter township in Berrien County · population 3,316 (2020 Census)

Median home: $299,800
Household income: $83,241
Jan low / Jul high: 19° / 83°
Snow a year: 71 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 17
Median age: 43.7

Lake is a charter township of 3,316 people in Berrien County, Michigan. The median home is worth $299,800, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for retirees than 93% of Michigan towns, better transit than 90% of Michigan towns, hipper than 81% of Michigan towns.

How Lake 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 Lake is worth $299,800, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.6 times the median household income of $83,241, which is more affordable than 16% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $1,234 a month. 89.1% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$299,800	$193,900
Median rent	$1,234	$955
Median household income	$83,241	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.6×	2.8×
Homeownership	89.1%	86.8%
Median year built	1982	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	16.7%	—

Who lives in Lake

People	Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median age	43.7	43.7
Age 65 and over	19.0%	20.7%
Under 18	24.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.7%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	10.4%	10.4%
Veterans	7.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.2%	—
Work from home	9.7%	9.1%
Average commute	26.8 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	93.3%	88.8%

Weather in Lake

July highs average 83.3°F and January lows 18.7°F. About 41.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 71.4 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 124 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 Niles station (15.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

17 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lake since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 7 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on June 5, 2010 about 4.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 5, 2010.

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 19 times; the largest was 2.25 inches on July 2, 1997.

Severe weather in Berrien County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Berrien County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

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

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
June 30, 2004	Severe Storm	DR-1527: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow

Jobs and pay in Berrien County

Berrien County had 60,626 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $57,009 a year. Unemployment was 4.2% in 2023; in Lake itself the ACS puts it at 2.6%.

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 Lake

Baroda, MI
3.2 mi · 2,835 people · home $234,400
Chikaming, MI
6.0 mi · 2,778 people · home $366,900
Lincoln, MI
6.9 mi · 14,929 people · home $299,100
Oronoko, MI
7.1 mi · 9,226 people · home $228,100
Buchanan, MI
8.8 mi · 3,436 people · home $194,000
Royalton, MI
8.9 mi · 5,141 people · home $356,700
St. Joseph, MI
10.8 mi · 9,993 people · home $248,900
Buchanan, MI
11.0 mi · 4,300 people · home $154,300

Lake questions

Is Lake, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Lake scores better for retirees than 93% of Michigan towns and quieter than 47%. 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 43.7).

How much does a house cost in Lake?

The median owner-occupied home in Lake is valued at $299,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $83,241, so homes cost about 3.6 times income. Median rent is $1,234 a month.

What is the weather like in Lake?

July highs average 83.3°F and January lows 18.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 41.7 inches of precipitation a year and 71.4 inches of snow.

Does Lake get tornadoes?

17 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lake since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on June 5, 2010. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Lake's Census boundary (GEOID 2602144260). 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 2026-11-12.