Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,647, settled in 1863.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Elk Rapids Township grades A overall, 76th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its schools rank ahead of 90% of Michigan towns and residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $401K for a typical one and 5.6 times the county’s $72K median household income. 34% of residents are 65 or older in Elk Rapids Township, against 19% in Michigan’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 124 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on walkability. Elk Rapids Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Elk Rapids Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Elementary School | PK–5 | 289 |
| Cherryland Middle School | 6–8 | 277 |
| Elk Rapids High School | 9–12 | 360 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Elk Rapids Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elk 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 Elk Rapids Township.
Elk Rapids Township is a second-home town and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
Of its 4 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to the Elk Rapids Schools. The largest public high school is Elk Rapids High School, with 360 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 289 | B+ |
| Elk Rapids High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 360 | A |
| Cherryland Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 277 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Elk Rapids Township, 56% come from inland flooding and 31% from cold waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
CDC measures, 32 in all: Elk Rapids Township beats Michigan on 16 and trails on 3. 28% of Elk Rapids Township adults feel lonely. Only 10 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Elk Rapids Township.
| Elk Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Elk Rapids Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.3% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.6% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In 8 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.7 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve, at 61 acres. The trail density in Elk Rapids Township is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Elk Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilcox-Palmer-Shah Nature Preserve | 0.4 mi | 61 |
| 2. Petobego State Game Area | 0.4 mi | 59 |
| 3. Elk Rapids Day Park | 0.2 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Nw Michigan Rsch Farm weather station, 14 miles away, records that 115 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Elk Rapids Township’s peak summer temperature stands at 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Traverse City (24%), Garfield Township (5%) and Suttons Bay Township (3%). Elk Rapids Township had 975 jobs in 2021, up 119 from 2011. Also worth knowing: the share of residents in Elk Rapids Township who live below the poverty line: 3.3%. The median commute is under 14 miles.
| Elk Rapids Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elk Rapids Township
About 5 of every 100 Elk Rapids Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
2 places in Elk Rapids Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Elk Rapids Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,521 at the 2020 census. The village of Elk Rapids is located within the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Elk Rapids Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Rapids Township | #76 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| Elk Rapids | — | — | C− | — | A | A− |
| Milton Township | — | — | C− | — | A | B |
Elk Rapids and Milton Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Elk Rapids Township, Elk Rapids and Milton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Elk Rapids Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Elk Rapids Township grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #76 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
