Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
57% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Big Rapids Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 608th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 59% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $257K, 4.2 years of the Big Rapids area’s $61K median household income. Only 5 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on hazard risk. Big Rapids Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is High Banks Park, at 20 acres.
Where Big Rapids Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Big Rapids Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,237 in 1870, a peak of 14,361 in 1980, 7,727 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Rapids Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Big Rapids Township.
Big Rapids Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has added a third more jobs in ten years, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Michigan (mostly strong winds).
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $289 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
At 79 of 100, Big Rapids Township’s FEMA risk score is above both the Michigan town median (25 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1986, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Big Rapids Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Big Rapids Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Big Rapids High School, with 755 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rapids High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 755 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Adults 18 to 34 are 33% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (21% statewide). 35% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Big Rapids Township, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Big Rapids Township has grown 4.2% since 2020, to 4,096 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Big Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.6 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
56% women, 44% men
About 78 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.8 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Big Rapids Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 20.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Big Rapids Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Big Rapids Township’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,286 in 2011 to 1,774.
Most working residents leave Big Rapids Township for work: only 7% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Big Rapids Township. Jobs based in Big Rapids Township grew to 1,774 in 2021, 488 more than in 2011.
| Big Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
3.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Big Rapids Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Big Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. High Banks Park | 0.2 mi | 20 |
| 2. Community Pool | — | 6 |
| 3. Clay Cliffs Nature Area | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 9,742 U.S. towns with household incomes like Big Rapids Township’s, it is healthier than 64%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
31% of Big Rapids Township adults have been diagnosed with depression. Big Rapids Township beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 11% of Big Rapids Township adults have diabetes.
| Big Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Big Rapids Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.8% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 32.4% | 36.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Big Rapids Township
College town 18 of every 100 Big Rapids Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Big Rapids is a city and the seat of government of Mecosta County, Michigan, United States. The population was 7,727 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 8,565 in 2024, The city is surrounded by Big Rapids Charter Township but they are completely separate jurisdictions. Big Rapids is home of the main campus of Ferris State University, a four-year public university.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Big Rapids Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rapids Township | #608 | C− | C− | — | B | C+ |
| Colfax Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Mecosta Township | #618 | C− | B | — | C+ | C |
| Norwich Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Green Township | #557 | C | A− | — | B | C |
Colfax Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Big Rapids Township, Colfax Township, Mecosta Township and Green Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Norwich Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Big Rapids Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Big Rapids Township grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #608 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.