Whitney, Michigan

Township in Arenac County · population 907 (2020 Census)

Median home: $183,100
Household income: $61,875
Jan low / Jul high: 13° / 80°
Snow a year: 49 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 4
Median age: 62.6

Whitney is a township of 907 people in Arenac County, Michigan. The median home is worth $183,100, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks quieter than 97% of Michigan towns, better for retirees than 90% of Michigan towns, better for first-time buyers than 90% of Michigan towns.

How Whitney 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 Whitney is worth $183,100, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $61,875, which is more affordable than 43% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $685 a month. 87.7% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Whitney	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$183,100	$193,900
Median rent	$685	$955
Median household income	$61,875	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.0×	2.8×
Homeownership	87.7%	86.8%
Median year built	1969	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	47.3%	—

Who lives in Whitney

People	Whitney	Typical Michigan town
Median age	62.6	43.7
Age 65 and over	44.6%	20.7%
Under 18	6.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.3%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	7.4%	10.4%
Veterans	11.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.3%	—
Work from home	5.0%	9.1%
Average commute	24.3 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	93.4%	88.8%

Weather in Whitney

July highs average 80.2°F and January lows 13.3°F. About 32.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 49.2 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 E Tawas station (12.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Whitney since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 4, 1977 about 6.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 28, 2018.

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 7 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on August 23, 2023.

Severe weather in Arenac County since 1996

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

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

Declared	Incident	Declaration
July 9, 2020	Dam/Levee Break	DR-4547: Severe Storms And Flooding
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
June 30, 2004	Severe Storm	DR-1527: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Arenac County

Arenac County had 4,077 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $46,876 a year. Unemployment was 6.9% in 2023; in Whitney itself the ACS puts it at 8.5%.

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 Whitney

Sims, MI
3.9 mi · 986 people · home $204,000
Au Gres, MI
7.2 mi · 945 people · home $159,000
Turner, MI
8.6 mi · 519 people · home $117,400
Au Gres, MI
9.5 mi · 896 people · home $209,700
Tawas City, MI
11.3 mi · 1,834 people · home $138,000
Tawas, MI
12.6 mi · 1,733 people · home $159,000
East Tawas, MI
13.5 mi · 2,663 people · home $130,200
Burleigh, MI
13.8 mi · 726 people · home $148,200

Whitney questions

Is Whitney, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Whitney scores better for retirees than 90% of Michigan towns and quieter than 97%. 44.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 62.6).

How much does a house cost in Whitney?

The median owner-occupied home in Whitney is valued at $183,100 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $61,875, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $685 a month.

What is the weather like in Whitney?

July highs average 80.2°F and January lows 13.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 32.3 inches of precipitation a year and 49.2 inches of snow.

Does Whitney get tornadoes?

4 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Whitney since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 4, 1977. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Whitney's Census boundary (GEOID 2601187080). 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.