BarkRiverMichiganDowntownUS2US41, 2010
Bark River Township’s story
155 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
- 1871Bark River Township is settled
Bark River TownshipMI
A town of 1,585, settled in 1871. 21% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,585
2025 Census estimate · −0.9% since 2020
Typical home
$219K
+8% in a year
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
45.1
years
Jobs based here
231
A commuter town
Is Bark River Township a good place to live?
The best of Bark River Township’s subject grades are an A− for schools and civic life; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Bark River Township’s January low is 9°F, against 16°F in Michigan’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Bark River Sports Complex, at 25 acres. Bark River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Bark River Township stand out
Where Bark River Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Bark River Township3.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA−
21% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Bark River Township$219K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingA−
3.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 76% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Bark River Township for work
Where Bark River Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
231jobs based in Bark River Township
5%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Bark River Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Bark River Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.9 of 20; 5.9% of households have no car; 2.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsBeat 78% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & income$69K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 34% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthOSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group 9.6 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landB−Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life3.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.1; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bark River Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bark River Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bark River Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBark River Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4980749807 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bark River Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Bark River Township has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Bark River Township for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2011, Bark River Township has added 178 jobs, to 231 in 2021. At 22 minutes, Bark River Township’s average trip to work is where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
5%work in town
| Bark River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Bark River Township5%
Escanaba32%
Wells Township10%
Harris Township9%
Gladstone4%
12 mi
median commute distance
231
jobs based in Bark River Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Bark River Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Bark River Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Bark River Township’s July high is 80°F.
70″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–29°
Spring29–52°
Summer53–78°
Fall36–56°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 19
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Bark River Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
A typical Bark River Township home is worth about $219K
The typical Bark River Township home is worth about $219,000, up 8% in a year, 17% below the Michigan typical home. 88% of Bark River Township households own their home.
$219KZillow home value
Typical home value
Bark River Township$219K
Michigan$264K
+8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsB−
0.4% of Bark River Township is conserved land
36 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bark River Township is 0.8 miles per square mile.
0.4%conserved
| Bark River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
0.4%
conserved · 130 of 29,016 acres
36 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit | 6.3 mi | 2,112 |
| 2. Bark River Sports Complex | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
Bark River Township ranks healthier than 50% of the country’s towns
Bark River Township beats the Michigan average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bark River Township.
50%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Bark River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
6 better22 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Bark River Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.6% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.9% |
OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group
9.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bark River Township
17pages on Bark River Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bark River Township
About 4 of every 100 Bark River Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Bark River Township
Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Bark River is an unincorporated community located in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Bark River Township near the Bark River, from which it is named. It is situated on U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 41 about 13 miles west of Escanaba and just east of the Hannahville Indian Reservation. Bark River is at latitude 45° 42' north and longitude 87° 18' west. The ZIP code is 49807 and the FIPS place code is 05400. The elevation is 744 feet above sea level. Nearby Bark River International Raceway has hosted national off-road racing events, most recently the TORC Series.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 741 ft
- ZIP code
- 49807
Bark River Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Bark River Township.
Harris TownshipFord River TownshipWells TownshipEscanaba TownshipBark River Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bark River Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | B− |
| Harris Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C |
| Ford River Township | — | — | B | — | B | C+ |
| Wells Township | #489 | C+ | B+ | — | B | C− |
| Escanaba Township | #220 | B+ | B | — | B+ | C+ |
Bark River Township, Harris Township and Ford River Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bark River Township, Harris Township, Ford River Township, Wells Township and Escanaba Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bark River Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Bark River Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bark River Township, MI a good place to live?
21% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Bark River Township, MI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.