Mentor, Michigan

Township in Cheboygan County · population 857 (2020 Census)

Median home: $179,600
Household income: $60,208
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 76°
Snow a year: 110 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 2
Median age: 51.5

Mentor is a township of 857 people in Cheboygan County, Michigan. The median home is worth $179,600, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks quieter than 85% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 81% of Michigan towns.

How Mentor 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 Mentor is worth $179,600, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $60,208, which is more affordable than 43% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $918 a month. 80.5% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Mentor	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$179,600	$193,900
Median rent	$918	$955
Median household income	$60,208	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.0×	2.8×
Homeownership	80.5%	86.8%
Median year built	1983	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	16.9%	—

Who lives in Mentor

People	Mentor	Typical Michigan town
Median age	51.5	43.7
Age 65 and over	22.5%	20.7%
Under 18	20.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.6%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	16.5%	10.4%
Veterans	10.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.5%	—
Work from home	6.4%	9.1%
Average commute	29.0 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	84.8%	88.8%

Weather in Mentor

July highs average 76.3°F and January lows 12.1°F. About 36.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 110.3 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 166 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 Petoskey Ncmc station (14.0 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mentor since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an EF0, struck on September 1, 2014 about 8.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on September 1, 2014.

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 5 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on May 22, 2011.

Severe weather in Cheboygan County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Cheboygan County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Cheboygan County has been included in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, freezing.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Flood	DR-4925: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
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

Jobs and pay in Cheboygan County

Cheboygan County had 6,140 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,915 a year. Unemployment was 8.2% in 2023; in Mentor itself the ACS puts it at 4.8%.

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 Mentor

Wilmot, MI
5.5 mi · 822 people · home $168,200
Ellis, MI
5.8 mi · 557 people · home $244,200
Springvale, MI
6.4 mi · 2,146 people · home $254,000
Tuscarora, MI
7.1 mi · 3,080 people · home $253,700
Indian River, MI
7.5 mi · 1,950 people · home $314,100
Littlefield, MI
9.3 mi · 3,200 people · home $256,500
Koehler, MI
9.7 mi · 1,193 people · home $155,800
Alanson, MI
9.9 mi · 778 people · home $134,100

Mentor questions

Is Mentor, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Mentor scores better for retirees than 53% of Michigan towns and quieter than 85%. 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 51.5).

How much does a house cost in Mentor?

The median owner-occupied home in Mentor is valued at $179,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $60,208, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $918 a month.

What is the weather like in Mentor?

July highs average 76.3°F and January lows 12.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 36.6 inches of precipitation a year and 110.3 inches of snow.

Does Mentor get tornadoes?

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mentor since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF0 on September 1, 2014. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Mentor's Census boundary (GEOID 2603153100). 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.