Mackinac Island, Michigan

City in Mackinac County · population 583 (2020 Census)

Median home: $733,300
Household income: $95,000
Jan low / Jul high: 11° / 76°
Snow a year: 83 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 40.4

Mackinac Island is a city of 583 people in Mackinac County, Michigan. The median home is worth $733,300, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for cycling than 100% of Michigan towns, better for young professionals than 98% of Michigan towns, better transit than 94% of Michigan towns.

How Mackinac Island 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 Mackinac Island is worth $733,300, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 7.7 times the median household income of $95,000, which is more affordable than 0% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $1,197 a month. 48.9% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Mackinac Island	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$733,300	$193,900
Median rent	$1,197	$955
Median household income	$95,000	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	7.7×	2.8×
Homeownership	48.9%	86.8%
Median year built	1969	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	41.0%	—

Who lives in Mackinac Island

People	Mackinac Island	Typical Michigan town
Median age	40.4	43.7
Age 65 and over	16.8%	20.7%
Under 18	6.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	41.0%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	13.1%	10.4%
Veterans	3.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	19.4%	—
Work from home	8.9%	9.1%
Average commute	8.8 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	90.3%	88.8%

Weather in Mackinac Island

July highs average 75.5°F and January lows 11.1°F. About 33.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 83.0 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 0 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 165 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 St Ignace station (4.5 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Mackinac Island since 1950.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on July 17, 2016.

Severe weather in Mackinac County since 1996

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

Mackinac County has been included in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for drought, freezing, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
July 22, 2025	Severe Ice Storm	DR-4880: Severe Winter Storm
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
May 10, 1994	Freezing	DR-1028: Severe Deep Freeze

Jobs and pay in Mackinac County

Mackinac County had 4,836 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $48,728 a year. Unemployment was 8.9% in 2023; in Mackinac Island itself the ACS puts it at 7.9%.

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).

Public schools in Mackinac Island

1 public school with 65 students, about 7.2 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Mackinac Island School	K-12	65	7.2

Towns near Mackinac Island

St. Ignace, MI
5.4 mi · 2,306 people · home $132,200
Mackinaw City, MI
8.2 mi · 846 people · home $224,300
Wawatam, MI
11.5 mi · 711 people · home $226,900
St. Ignace, MI
12.9 mi · 973 people · home $179,400
Beaugrand, MI
13.8 mi · 1,092 people · home $206,300
Carp Lake, MI
14.6 mi · 748 people · home $195,200
Marquette, MI
15.2 mi · 611 people · home $145,100
Brevort, MI
16.8 mi · 502 people · home $137,500

Mackinac Island questions

Is Mackinac Island, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Mackinac Island scores better for retirees than 47% of Michigan towns and quieter than 72%. 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 40.4).

How much does a house cost in Mackinac Island?

The median owner-occupied home in Mackinac Island is valued at $733,300 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $95,000, so homes cost about 7.7 times income. Median rent is $1,197 a month.

What is the weather like in Mackinac Island?

July highs average 75.5°F and January lows 11.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 33.4 inches of precipitation a year and 83.0 inches of snow.

Does Mackinac Island get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Mackinac Island in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Mackinac Island's Census boundary (GEOID 2650280). 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.