Deep River TownshipMI
A town of 2,076, settled in 1883. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Is Deep River Township a good place to live?
Deep River Township’s best subject grades are an A− for schools and cost of living; its weakest is a C− for health. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Deep River Township, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Deep River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Deep River Township stand out
Where Deep River Township beats most towns.
93% of working residents leave Deep River Township for work
Where Deep River Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Deep River Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Deep River Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Deep River Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Deep River 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Deep River Township.
Health in Deep River Township trails 81% of U.S. towns
Deep River Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Deep River Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Deep River Township.
| Deep River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Deep River Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.1% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 18.7% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Deep River Township’s public schools outperform 76% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Standish-Sterling Community Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is StandishSterling Central JrSr High School, with 660 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| StandishSterling Central Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 654 | B− |
| StandishSterling Central JrSr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 660 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Most of Deep River Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Deep River Township for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Deep River Township fell to 445 in 2021, 153 fewer than in 2011. 4.5% of Deep River Township workers work from home.
| Deep River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.5% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
In Deep River Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Deep River Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Deep River Township’s July high is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Low risk in Deep River Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Deep River Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Conserved land covers 2.2% of Deep River Township
30 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Deep River Township is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Deep 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 | 2.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit | 1.7 mi | 1,309 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Deep River Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Deep River Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Deep River Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Deep River Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Deep River Township is a civil township of Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,050 at the 2020 census. The village of Sterling is located within the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 732 ft
Deep River Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Deep River Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep River Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C− |
| Adams Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Arenac Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clayton Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C− |
| Mason Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Deep River Township and Clayton Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Deep River Township and Clayton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Adams Township, Lincoln Township, Arenac Township and Mason Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Deep River Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Deep River Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Deep River Township, MI a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Is Deep 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−.