Ludington, MI: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Ludington ( LUH-ding-tən) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat and the largest city in Mason County. The population was 7,655 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth largest city in the northern Michigan area. It is located near a military base. The city is located at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River at Lake Michigan. Nearby are Ludington State Park (which includes the Big Sable Point Light), Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, and Manistee National Forest, making the area a popular tourist destination in the summer. Ludington is the home port of the SS Badger, a vehicle and passenger ferry with daily service in the summer across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Ludington ranks

All →

#17Shortest commute in MI #114Most new homes in MI #122Best schools in MI All MI rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code49431

Area code231

Living in Ludington

Housing in Ludington

$307K▲ 7% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Ludington home is worth about $307,000, up 7% in a year, 15% above the Michigan typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market34

Sale-to-list96%

Sold in May11

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Ludington

B⁻

Safety Grade B-

Ludington reports less crime per resident than 53% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000

Ludington 2.1

Michigan 4.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Ludington 7.2

Michigan 13

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Ludington

Compared with Michigan

1better than MI·10worse

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 21 are too close to call.

Conditions 7▼ 5 close Habits all close Care 1▲ 1▼ 5 close Mind 2▼ 3 close Everyday needs all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

81.5%More adults treating high blood pressureMI 77.6% · better 11.8%More adults with COPDMI 8.1% · worse

Care nearby

Corewell Health Ludington HospitalLudington · 2.7 mi · ER

Northwest Michigan Health ServicesManistee · 22.3 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Ludington · CMS · HRSAHealth in Ludington →

Schools in Ludington

All Ludington schools →

A⁻

School Grade A-

The public schools Ludington’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 78% of Michigan’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

#122Best public schoolsof 490 in MI

DistrictLudington Area School DistrictSchools3

Ludington Area Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 80 students OJ DeJonge Middle School B+Middle · Grades 6–8 · 447 students Ludington High School A-High · Grades 9–12 · 687 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MI. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from LudingtonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Ludington.Meet them →