Living in Montague, Michigan: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.5% below the U.S. average in the Muskegon-Norton Shores metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Montague itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town7 public schools: 4 elementary, 2 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byMercy Health Lakeshore Campus in Shelby, about 14 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityGrand Rapids is about 47 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Montague meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $202,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 27%Muskegon County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $810 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $66,750U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 79%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,096 a yearMichigan: $2,904
Homes built before 1940: 24%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 4%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 6%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.5U.S. average = 100 (the Muskegon-Norton Shores metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 27% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Muskegon-Norton Shores metro area, not Montague alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,4242020: 2,419
Median age: 35.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 19%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 29%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 22%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Manufacturing (27%); schools, health care and social services (18%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 0%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus, Shelby, MI, about 14 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital, Muskegon, MI, about 16 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

7 public schools in Montague, run by Montague Area Public Schools and Whitehall District Schools.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Michigan's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 19°F
July average high: 79°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 144 a year
Rain and melted snow: 35.2 inches a year
Snow: 69 inches a year
Elevation: 628 feet

Weather station: Montague 4 NW (4 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Mercy Health Lakeshore CampusEmergency room14

Grand Rapids, MIMetro of 1.2 million47

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus, Grand Rapids.

Muskegon County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Montague's history on Wikipedia.

Know Montague?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Whitehall, MI3,200 people, 1 miles
Lakewood Club, MI1,300 people, 6 miles
North Muskegon, MI4,100 people, 12 miles
Shelby, MI2,200 people, 14 miles
Muskegon, MI37,000 people, 14 miles
Roosevelt Park, MI4,100 people, 15 miles

Smaller places

Rothbury, MI448 people, 7 miles
Twin Lake, MI (unincorporated)2,036 people, 10 miles
New Era, MI462 people, 10 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.