According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Emmet County is ranked as the 849th most desirable county to live in out of 3,111 counties in the contiguous United States.

Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post wrote about the USDA’s rankings of desirable places to live based on the “natural amenities index” data set.

The index references the things that make a county a desirable place to live. According to the USDA;

“The natural amenities scale is a measure of the physical characteristics of a county area that enhance the location as a place to live. The scale was constructed by combining six measures of climate, topography, and water area that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer. These measures are warm winter, winter sun, temperate summer, low summer humidity, topographic variation, and water area. The data are available for counties in the lower 48 States. The file contains the original measures and standardized scores for each county as well as the amenities scale.”

To view the file for yourself: download it here.

Ingraham’s article highlights the United States with an interactive map showing the rankings and rating.

Emmet County received an “average natural amenity ranking.” This ranking, a 4 on the 1-7 numbered scale, is slightly higher than other Michigan counties. By comparison, neighboring counties were also ranked as #4 on the scale; Antrim County was 1,029th, Charlevoix County was 842nd, Cheboygan County was ranked 1,379th,  Presque Isle was 1,321st.

Ingraham’s map shows that the counties bordering the Northern Lower peninsula’s shoreline rank higher than any other county in the state, less Keweenaw County (ranked 1,116th).

Using the data set to compare Michigan top 12 counties:

Charlevoix County – #1 (842nd)

Emmet County – #2 (849th)

Manistee County -#3 (863rd)

Benzie County – #4 (935th)

Leelanau County – #5 (941st)

Mason County – #6 (1,023rd)

Antrim County – #7 (1,029th)

Keweenaw County -#8 (1,116st)

Grand Traverse County -#9 (1,165th)

Alcona County – #10 (1,186th)

Presque Isle – #11 (1,321st)

Cheboygan County – #12 (1,379th)

Alpena County – #13 (1,386th)

For more information on Emmet County, click here.

For Emmet County homes for sale, click here.