West Branch, Michigan

Township in Marquette County · population 1,702 (2020 Census)

Median home: $259,500
Household income: $63,142
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 78°
Snow a year: 143 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 39.8

West Branch is a township of 1,702 people in Marquette County, Michigan. The median home is worth $259,500, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better transit than 83% of Michigan towns, better for young professionals than 80% of Michigan towns.

How West Branch 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 West Branch is worth $259,500, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 4.1 times the median household income of $63,142, which is more affordable than 6% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $746 a month. 52.0% of households own their home.

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

Housing	West Branch	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$259,500	$193,900
Median rent	$746	$955
Median household income	$63,142	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	4.1×	2.8×
Homeownership	52.0%	86.8%
Median year built	1970	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	12.6%	—

Who lives in West Branch

People	West Branch	Typical Michigan town
Median age	39.8	43.7
Age 65 and over	18.3%	20.7%
Under 18	22.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.2%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	13.5%	10.4%
Veterans	8.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	8.8%	9.1%
Average commute	20.7 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	88.3%	88.8%

Weather in West Branch

July highs average 78.3°F and January lows 9.5°F. About 32.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 142.9 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 3 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 Ki Sawyer Wwtp station (5.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of West Branch since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an F0, struck on August 18, 1987 about 5.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 18, 1987.

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 30 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on June 20, 2007.

Severe weather in Marquette County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Marquette County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 17 deaths recorded.

Marquette County has been included in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Flood	DR-4925: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
June 18, 2013	Flood	DR-4121: Flooding
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

Jobs and pay in Marquette County

Marquette County had 26,385 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $54,658 a year. Unemployment was 4.6% in 2023; in West Branch itself the ACS puts it at 1.7%.

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 West Branch

K. I. Sawyer, MI
4.9 mi · 3,064 people · home $87,300
Chocolay, MI
6.2 mi · 5,899 people · home $246,800
Skandia, MI
6.6 mi · 810 people · home $205,400
Sands, MI
7.6 mi · 2,310 people · home $259,200
Harvey, MI
7.8 mi · 3,244 people · home $262,800
Gwinn, MI
9.6 mi · 1,784 people · home $117,000
Forsyth, MI
11.8 mi · 6,194 people · home $168,700
Richmond, MI
12.4 mi · 806 people · home $103,100

West Branch questions

Is West Branch, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, West Branch scores better for retirees than 20% of Michigan towns and quieter than 15%. 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (median age 39.8).

How much does a house cost in West Branch?

The median owner-occupied home in West Branch is valued at $259,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $63,142, so homes cost about 4.1 times income. Median rent is $746 a month.

What is the weather like in West Branch?

July highs average 78.3°F and January lows 9.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 32.7 inches of precipitation a year and 142.9 inches of snow.

Does West Branch get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of West Branch since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F0 on August 18, 1987. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to West Branch's Census boundary (GEOID 2610385540). 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.