The 10 Worst Small Towns In Michigan For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in MI are the pits.

Nick Johnson, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 147,949 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Michigan.

Most Americans have never been to Michigan. However, as the people who live there know, Michigan is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Michigan has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Wolverine State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 245 of Michigan's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Michigan where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in Michigan for 2022:

  1. Mio
  2. Skidway Lake
  3. Benton Heights
  4. Caro
  5. St. Helen
  6. Harrison
  7. Marlette
  8. Cassopolis
  9. Evart
  10. Grayling

So what is the worst small town to call home in Michigan for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Mio is the worst small town to live in Michigan.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Michigan has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Michigan or the worst places to live in Michigan.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Michigan For 2022

1. Mio

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,555
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $67,300 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.4% (4th worst)
More on Mio:  Data

2. Skidway Lake

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 3,289
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $47,800 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.5% (30th worst)
More on Skidway Lake:  Data

3. Benton Heights

Benton Heights, MI

Source: Wikipedia User |
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,151
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $66,900 (17th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.1% (3rd worst)
More on Benton Heights:  Data | Photos

4. Caro

Caro, MI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,024
Rank Last Year: 25 (Up 21)
Median Home Value: $72,100 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.3% (9th worst)
More on Caro:  Data | Photos

5. St. Helen

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,868
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $61,500 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.5% (66th worst)
More on St. Helen:  Data

6. Harrison

Harrison, MI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,034
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $76,100 (33rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.6% (38th worst)
More on Harrison:  Data | Photos

7. Marlette

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,002
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $78,300 (4worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.4% (17th worst)
More on Marlette:  Data

8. Cassopolis

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,684
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $69,300 (19th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.3% (6th worst)
More on Cassopolis:  Data

9. Evart

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,673
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $78,900 (45th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.1% (11th worst)
More on Evart:  Data

10. Grayling

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,969
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $85,100 (64th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (24th worst)
More on Grayling:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Michigan, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Michigan for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 245 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Michigan

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Wolverine State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Michigan, according to science:

  1. Franklin (Pop. 2,877)
  2. Sylvan Lake (Pop. 1,799)
  3. Village of Grosse Pointe Shores (Pop. 2,791)

For more Michigan reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Michigan

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Mio 1,555 16.4% $67,300
2 Skidway Lake 3,289 9.5% $47,800
3 Benton Heights 4,151 17.1% $66,900
4 Caro 4,024 14.3% $72,100
5 St. Helen 2,868 7.5% $61,500
6 Harrison 2,034 8.6% $76,100
7 Marlette 2,002 11.4% $78,300
8 Cassopolis 1,684 15.3% $69,300
9 Evart 1,673 13.1% $78,900
10 Grayling 1,969 9.9% $85,100
11 Hartford 2,588 11.6% $74,400
12 White Cloud 1,192 3.5% $76,900
13 Sand Lake 1,296 12.2% $95,400
14 Cheboygan 4,725 7.5% $81,300
15 Baldwin 1,105 9.6% $72,900
16 Kalkaska 2,230 4.0% $90,800
17 Imlay City 3,585 9.3% $97,100
18 Capac 1,858 12.5% $90,700
19 Standish 1,397 7.4% $74,200
20 Manton 1,228 6.8% $88,100
21 Baraga 2,073 10.3% $86,500
22 Crystal Falls 1,626 5.7% $66,800
23 Iron River 2,831 4.0% $53,100
24 Elsie 1,066 23.5% $87,700
25 Mount Morris 2,850 13.1% $66,500
26 Nashville 1,461 6.2% $84,900
27 Ironwood 4,925 5.7% $52,800
28 Ontonagon 1,474 8.1% $64,900
29 Manistique 2,931 8.4% $62,600
30 Reed City 2,033 8.2% $75,400
31 Stanton 1,354 3.6% $82,200
32 Weidman 1,265 2.1% $87,000
33 Edmore 1,232 3.8% $74,400
34 Beaverton 1,270 5.4% $73,500
35 Scottville 1,290 2.7% $84,700
36 Brownlee Park 1,964 3.1% $57,800
37 Coleman 1,235 4.9% $66,500
38 Clio 2,036 9.5% $74,400
39 East Jordan 2,133 4.6% $91,500
40 Morenci 1,932 6.4% $70,200
41 Decatur 1,935 7.9% $90,000
42 Munising 1,991 10.8% $98,500
43 Rogers City 2,669 3.7% $81,400
44 Yale 2,216 18.2% $81,300
45 K. I. Sawyer 2,807 8.1% $46,700
46 Croswell 2,402 5.5% $85,900
47 Au Sable 1,619 5.8% $91,700
48 Bangor 2,135 4.6% $84,300
49 Newaygo 2,044 5.2% $75,600
50 Montrose 2,023 4.9% $85,600
51 Harbor Beach 1,862 6.6% $80,300
52 Colon 1,128 8.3% $92,300
53 Constantine 2,222 8.8% $86,600
54 Hart 2,118 9.0% $95,100
55 Bronson 2,061 4.6% $77,500
56 Galesburg 2,201 5.2% $66,000
57 Roscommon 1,137 9.7% $66,600
58 Brown City 1,190 12.7% $76,800
59 Wakefield 1,669 2.9% $52,500
60 Grant 1,110 15.3% $126,800
61 Sebewaing 1,518 9.3% $75,600
62 Vassar 2,549 15.3% $102,200
63 Gladwin 2,888 7.6% $90,000
64 Prudenville 1,755 9.6% $146,500
65 East Tawas 2,729 5.4% $89,800
66 Union City 1,731 6.7% $78,600
67 Olivet 1,675 13.5% $115,800
68 Shelby 2,567 4.0% $95,000
69 Luna Pier 1,134 8.4% $131,400
70 St. Ignace 2,133 6.3% $106,900
71 Indian River 2,019 3.9% $168,800
72 Clare 3,127 7.7% $110,800
73 Beechwood 2,966 8.5% $149,900
74 Chesaning 2,356 8.6% $87,300
75 Litchfield 1,232 3.9% $83,700
76 Wolf Lake 3,382 14.6% $90,300
77 Rapid City 1,495 5.9% $161,000
78 Mancelona 1,708 5.5% $78,300
79 Newberry 1,298 4.5% $54,900
80 Lawton 1,533 8.2% $111,800
81 Tawas City 1,824 10.6% $98,800
82 Bad Axe 2,930 5.2% $82,700
83 West Monroe 3,261 9.4% $78,000
84 West Branch 2,052 5.8% $89,600
85 Charlevoix 2,467 7.9% $148,000
86 Lake Michigan Beach 1,110 5.3% $130,400
87 Fennville 1,939 4.4% $99,000
88 Kent City 1,173 6.1% $104,600
89 Cedar Springs 3,703 6.5% $127,500
90 Gaylord 3,644 0.0% $95,900
91 Sandusky 2,796 5.5% $87,300
92 Ithaca 2,864 1.2% $92,000
93 Homer 1,550 7.1% $92,300
94 White Pigeon 1,513 3.6% $97,400
95 Fremont 4,030 3.0% $112,200
96 Webberville 1,238 8.3% $113,200
97 New Haven 4,856 9.9% $152,300
98 Paw Paw 3,416 7.4% $97,300
99 Coloma 1,315 8.3% $112,400
100 Lake Linden 1,167 7.4% $77,400
Download The Entire Michigan Ranking Data

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About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

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