Mills, Michigan

Township in Ogemaw County · population 3,973 (2020 Census)

Median home: $81,800
Household income: $42,097
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 80°
Snow a year: 53 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 13
Median age: 47.3

Mills is a township of 3,973 people in Ogemaw County, Michigan. The median home is worth $81,800, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 71% of Michigan towns.

Mills in our rankings:

How Mills 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 Mills is worth $81,800, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 1.9 times the median household income of $42,097, which is more affordable than 96% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $815 a month. 87.8% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Mills	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$81,800	$193,900
Median rent	$815	$955
Median household income	$42,097	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	1.9×	2.8×
Homeownership	87.8%	86.8%
Median year built	1975	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	41.8%	—

Who lives in Mills

People	Mills	Typical Michigan town
Median age	47.3	43.7
Age 65 and over	24.4%	20.7%
Under 18	18.7%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.1%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	30.5%	10.4%
Veterans	13.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.8%	—
Work from home	10.1%	9.1%
Average commute	35.3 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	89.8%	88.8%

Weather in Mills

July highs average 80.3°F and January lows 10.4°F. About 33.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 53.0 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 6 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 177 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 W Branch 3Se station (7.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

13 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mills since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 6 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on March 30, 1976 about 7.0 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 22 injuries since 1950. 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 10 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on May 12, 2000.

Severe weather in Ogemaw County since 1996

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

Ogemaw 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
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
January 27, 1999	Snowstorm	EM-3137: Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99

Jobs and pay in Ogemaw County

Ogemaw County had 6,008 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $42,697 a year. Unemployment was 6.6% in 2023; in Mills itself the ACS puts it at 12.1%.

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 Mills

Skidway Lake, MI
1.5 mi · 3,082 people · home $59,100
West Branch, MI
8.5 mi · 2,567 people · home $171,600
St. Helen, MI
20.3 mi · 2,735 people · home $95,600
Plainfield, MI
21.0 mi · 3,350 people · home $174,300
Richfield, MI
21.4 mi · 3,545 people · home $110,200
Gladwin, MI
25.8 mi · 3,069 people · home $126,900
Fraser, MI
28.8 mi · 2,994 people · home $163,100
Big Creek, MI
29.2 mi · 2,604 people · home $111,700

Mills questions

Is Mills, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Mills scores better for retirees than 22% of Michigan towns and quieter than 48%. 24.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 47.3).

How much does a house cost in Mills?

The median owner-occupied home in Mills is valued at $81,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $42,097, so homes cost about 1.9 times income. Median rent is $815 a month.

What is the weather like in Mills?

July highs average 80.3°F and January lows 10.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 33.6 inches of precipitation a year and 53.0 inches of snow.

Does Mills get tornadoes?

13 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Mills since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on March 30, 1976. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Mills's Census boundary (GEOID 2612954340). 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.