Torch Lake, Michigan

Township in Antrim County · population 1,212 (2020 Census)

Median home: $570,400
Household income: $89,485
Jan low / Jul high: 17° / 80°
Snow a year: 109 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 8
Median age: 62.5

Torch Lake is a township of 1,212 people in Antrim County, Michigan. The median home is worth $570,400, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for a vacation home than 97% of Michigan towns, better for retirees than 96% of Michigan towns, better for cycling than 88% of Michigan towns.

How Torch 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 Torch Lake is worth $570,400, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 6.4 times the median household income of $89,485, which is more affordable than 1% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $1,313 a month. 93.6% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Torch Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$570,400	$193,900
Median rent	$1,313	$955
Median household income	$89,485	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	6.4×	2.8×
Homeownership	93.6%	86.8%
Median year built	1988	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	51.2%	—

Who lives in Torch Lake

People	Torch Lake	Typical Michigan town
Median age	62.5	43.7
Age 65 and over	42.8%	20.7%
Under 18	14.8%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.0%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	14.9%	10.4%
Veterans	7.7%	—
Born outside the U.S.	6.3%	—
Work from home	17.6%	9.1%
Average commute	29.0 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	94.2%	88.8%

Weather in Torch Lake

July highs average 79.9°F and January lows 16.5°F. About 31.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 109.2 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 5 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 157 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 Old Mission 3Ssw station (11.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Torch Lake since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 31, 1977 about 3.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on September 22, 2025.

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 9 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on July 8, 2016.

Severe weather in Antrim County since 1996

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

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

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 Antrim County

Antrim County had 5,128 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $42,968 a year. Unemployment was 5.4% in 2023; in Torch Lake itself the ACS puts it at 0.3%.

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 Torch Lake

Central Lake, MI
4.1 mi · 2,159 people · home $228,200
Central Lake, MI
4.5 mi · 960 people · home $167,100
Forest Home, MI
5.7 mi · 1,675 people · home $307,300
Bellaire, MI
8.4 mi · 1,053 people · home $230,100
Milton, MI
8.6 mi · 2,355 people · home $528,000
Banks, MI
9.1 mi · 1,588 people · home $248,800
Echo, MI
9.7 mi · 952 people · home $235,600
Elk Rapids, MI
10.2 mi · 1,529 people · home $393,400

Torch Lake questions

Is Torch Lake, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Torch Lake scores better for retirees than 96% of Michigan towns and quieter than 84%. 42.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 62.5).

How much does a house cost in Torch Lake?

The median owner-occupied home in Torch Lake is valued at $570,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $89,485, so homes cost about 6.4 times income. Median rent is $1,313 a month.

What is the weather like in Torch Lake?

July highs average 79.9°F and January lows 16.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 31.3 inches of precipitation a year and 109.2 inches of snow.

Does Torch Lake get tornadoes?

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Torch Lake since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 31, 1977. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Torch Lake's Census boundary (GEOID 2600980100). 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.