Lakefield, Michigan

Township in Luce County · population 1,135 (2020 Census)

Median home: $172,700
Household income: $56,484
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 77°
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 5
Median age: 58.8

Lakefield is a township of 1,135 people in Luce County, Michigan. The median home is worth $172,700, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks quieter than 96% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 87% of Michigan towns, better for retirees than 86% of Michigan towns.

How Lakefield 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 Lakefield is worth $172,700, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.1 times the median household income of $56,484, which is more affordable than 37% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $703 a month. 91.6% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Lakefield	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$172,700	$193,900
Median rent	$703	$955
Median household income	$56,484	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.1×	2.8×
Homeownership	91.6%	86.8%
Median year built	1982	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	35.5%	—

Who lives in Lakefield

People	Lakefield	Typical Michigan town
Median age	58.8	43.7
Age 65 and over	35.7%	20.7%
Under 18	12.7%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.6%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	9.5%	10.4%
Veterans	20.6%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.1%	—
Work from home	6.1%	9.1%
Average commute	30.3 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	84.2%	88.8%

Weather in Lakefield

July highs average 76.7°F and January lows 9.7°F. About 33.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year. Expect about 1 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 178 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 Newberry Correctional Facility station (11.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lakefield since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 14, 1984 about 9.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 23, 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 12 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on September 2, 2014.

Severe weather in Luce County since 1996

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

Luce County has been included in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for drought, 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
January 27, 1978	Snowstorm	EM-3057: Blizzards & Snowstorms
March 2, 1977	Drought	EM-3035: Drought

Jobs and pay in Luce County

Luce County had 1,786 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,825 a year. Unemployment was 5.9% in 2023; in Lakefield itself the ACS puts it at 3.7%.

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 Lakefield

Portage, MI
6.8 mi · 907 people · home $213,800
Newberry, MI
12.1 mi · 1,446 people · home $68,500
Garfield, MI
13.0 mi · 1,166 people · home $176,000
Pentland, MI
15.0 mi · 1,564 people · home $133,500
Doyle, MI
16.7 mi · 563 people · home $198,400
McMillan, MI
19.3 mi · 2,471 people · home $76,100
Manistique, MI
22.3 mi · 1,045 people · home $200,900
Hiawatha, MI
28.4 mi · 1,305 people · home $184,500

Lakefield questions

Is Lakefield, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Lakefield scores better for retirees than 86% of Michigan towns and quieter than 96%. 35.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 58.8).

How much does a house cost in Lakefield?

The median owner-occupied home in Lakefield is valued at $172,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $56,484, so homes cost about 3.1 times income. Median rent is $703 a month.

What is the weather like in Lakefield?

July highs average 76.7°F and January lows 9.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 33.8 inches of precipitation a year.

Does Lakefield get tornadoes?

5 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lakefield since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 14, 1984. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Lakefield's Census boundary (GEOID 2609544540). 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.