Housing data for West Traverse Township, MI
West Traverse Township, MI has an estimated 1,770 residents and 1,294 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a township in Emmet County.
10.5% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,148 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,770 (±223)
- Housing units
- 1,294 (±151)
- Households that rent
- 10.5%
- Median gross rent
- $1,148
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +7.2%
What stands out in West Traverse Township
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 3.3% (±3.2 points) in West Traverse Township, lower than in Emmet County (11.8%).
Households that rent: 10.5% (±3.7 points) in West Traverse Township, lower than in Emmet County (23.0%).
Median home value: $399,600 (±$68,508) in West Traverse Township, higher than in Emmet County ($315,700).
Median real estate taxes: $3,346 (±$318) in West Traverse Township, higher than in Emmet County ($2,634).
- Types of homes in West Traverse Township
- Renters and owners in West Traverse Township
- Home values in West Traverse Township
- Property taxes in West Traverse Township
Housing in West Traverse Township at a glance
- Median rent: $1,148 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $960 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 39.2% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 10.5% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $93,929 median household income
- Home values: $399,600 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,553 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $3,346 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 3.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 87.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 32.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 74.4% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 23.8 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +7.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 16.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
West Traverse Township against Emmet County, its state and the nation
| West Traverse Township | Emmet County | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,770 (±223) | 34,125 (exact) | 10,077,761 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,294 (±151) | 21,979 (±63) | 4,622,236 (±795) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 10.5% (±3.7 points) | 23.0% (±1.7 points) | 26.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,148 (±$293) | $1,112 (±$81) | $1,129 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $93,929 (±$13,726) | $78,112 (±$4,802) | $72,875 (±$293) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $399,600 (±$68,508) | $315,700 (±$11,662) | $231,600 (±$642) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $3,346 (±$318) | $2,634 (±$80) | $2,904 (±$9) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 32.6% (±8.7 points) | 42.4% (±2.6 points) | 62.1% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 23.8 minutes (±3.7) | 19.9 minutes (±1.1) | 24.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.5% (±1.8 points) | 91.1% (±1.7 points) | 90.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 56.6 years (±6.3) | 47.0 years (±0.5) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
West Traverse Township covers 13.4 square miles of land, about 133 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How West Traverse Township has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,651 (±132) | 1,770 (±223) | +7.2% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 1,404 (±90) | 1,294 (±151) | −7.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,134 (±$176) | $1,148 (±$293) | +1.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $314,600 (±$23,307) | $399,600 (±$68,508) | +27.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $86,000 (±$9,369) | $93,929 (±$13,726) | +9.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,720 (±$200) | $1,553 (±$181) | −9.7% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,083 (±$265) | $3,346 (±$318) | +8.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 8.8% (±3.0 points) | 10.5% (±3.7 points) | +1.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±23.1 points) | 0.0% (±28.9 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Emmet County
West Traverse Township has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Emmet County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Emmet County recorded 123 violent and 268 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in West Traverse Township
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49740 | 11% | 7,197 | $991 | $363,500 | $89,250 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near West Traverse Township
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Springs | 2.8 mi | $1,027 | $415,700 | 31.9% |
| Friendship Township | 4.4 mi | $542 | $354,000 | 8.3% |
| Petoskey | 6.0 mi | $1,006 | $364,100 | 38.9% |
| Little Traverse Township | 6.4 mi | $988 | $345,400 | 17.7% |
| Pleasantview Township | 7.6 mi | $825 | $356,800 | 6.4% |
| Resort Township | 8.3 mi | $844 | $394,500 | 9.7% |
| Readmond Township | 8.6 mi | — | $287,500 | 0.4% |
| Bear Creek Township | 9.4 mi | $1,453 | $364,500 | 36.0% |
Places in Michigan most like West Traverse Township
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solon Township (Leelanau County) | $1,045 | $376,100 | $96,833 | 10.7% |
| Blendon Township | $1,164 | $395,600 | $95,288 | 12.5% |
| Saugatuck Township | $1,103 | $422,600 | $93,618 | 5.3% |
| St. Clair Township | $1,285 | $334,600 | $93,068 | 6.4% |
| Eveline Township | $1,375 | $459,100 | $101,964 | 5.2% |
| Richland Township (Kalamazoo County) | $1,109 | $309,500 | $106,470 | 10.5% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Michigan.
HUD Fair Market Rent for West Traverse Township, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,015 | $1,021 | $1,336 | $1,592 | $1,756 |
HUD income limits for West Traverse Township, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,350 | $35,600 | $56,950 |
| 2 people | $24,400 | $40,700 | $65,100 |
| 3 people | $27,450 | $45,800 | $73,250 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $50,850 | $81,350 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $54,950 | $87,900 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $59,000 | $94,400 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $63,100 | $100,900 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $67,150 | $107,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Emmet County, MI, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $101,700.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about West Traverse Township
How many renters are there in West Traverse Township?
West Traverse Township has an estimated 85 (±30) renting households, 10.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in West Traverse Township?
The median household income in West Traverse Township is $93,929 (±$13,726) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in West Traverse Township, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $399,600 (±$68,508) for owner-occupied homes in West Traverse Township (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in West Traverse Township?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in West Traverse Township, MI is $1,553 (±$181) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in West Traverse Township?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in West Traverse Township, MI is $3,346 (±$318) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in West Traverse Township?
West Traverse Township, MI has an estimated 1,294 (±151) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is West Traverse Township growing?
In West Traverse Township, the number of residents went from 1,651 in 2015–2019 to 1,770 in 2020–2024 (+7.2%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in West Traverse Township?
The ZIP code that covers West Traverse Township is 49740.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 49740?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 49740 is $991 (±$165) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Emmet County, MI
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Emmet County, MI
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for West Traverse township, Emmet County, Michigan (county subdivision:86300, in state:26 county:047).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .