Forest TownshipMI
A town of 1,208.
Is Forest Township a good place to live?
Forest Township’s best subject grades are an A− for the outdoors and civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 32 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on incomes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. 27% of the land in Forest Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Forest Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Forest Township stand out
Where Forest Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
1,208 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Forest Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Forest Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Forest Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Forest 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 Forest Township.
Natural hazards: very low risk in Forest Township, mostly inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Forest Township comes to 17 of 100, against 25 of 100 in Michigan’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. FEMA puts 44% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 26% to cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Protected land: nearly a quarter of Forest Township
Trails run 17 miles in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in Forest Township: one, of 5,972 acres. Also worth knowing: the density of trails in the town is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Cadillac Unit | 8.4 mi | 5,972 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
On CDC estimates, Forest Township is less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns
81% of adults had a checkup this year in Forest Township. In Forest Township, 16% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 14% have diabetes.
| Forest Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Forest Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Forest Township has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The top destinations are Cadillac (15%), Lake City (7%) and Traverse City (6%). Just nearly a tenth of Forest Township’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2011, Forest Township has lost 453 jobs, to 273 in 2021. In Forest Township, 21% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Forest Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.6% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Forest Township’s year
The July high for Forest Township comes to 80°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Everything we know about Forest Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Forest Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Forest Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
91% of working residents leave Forest Township for work
Where Forest Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Forest Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Forest Township is a civil township of Missaukee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,184 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 597 ft
Questions about Forest Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forest 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 B+.