Measured against area pay, Gerrish Township costs more to live in than 56% of U.S. towns
It ranks #425 of 701 in Michigan for affordability. Home prices around Gerrish Township have risen about 93% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 14 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Roscommon County, MI ($55K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Roscommon County earn ($55K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 4.2 years of area income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,010a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$55K, Roscommon County income
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Gerrish Township
About half of Gerrish Township’s homes are second homes
60% of Gerrish Township’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 10 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Prices rose faster than Michigan’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Gerrish Township, so the page uses the federal house price index for the ZIP code around it, which follows repeat sales of the same homes. It rose 93% over five years, against 52% across Michigan. Price trend ↓
Nearly every household owns
99% of Gerrish Township households own their home, against 73% across Michigan. There are only 10 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gerrish Township lost 197 residents while 58 new homes were permitted. With 60% of homes used seasonally, part of the new building serves people who don’t live here year-round. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Gerrish Township, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Gerrish Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gerrish Township is more affordable than 44% of U.S. towns, #425 of 701 in Michigan. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 93% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Gerrish Township rose 93% over the past 5 years, faster than across Michigan (52%). Last year prices rose 12%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Gerrish Township home at roughly $320,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $320K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Gerrish Township, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 4.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Gerrish Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $111K short of a typical Gerrish Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,010 a month here, $960 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Gerrish Township’s typical property tax (1.08% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,010
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Crawford County, MI): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
14 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 14 new homes in Gerrish Township in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.7 million to build. That's 5 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Michigan (2.3). Over the past 10 years, Gerrish Township has permitted 96 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gerrish Township's population fell by 197 even though 58 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 60% of Gerrish Township's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across Michigan: 1.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2025 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2021 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2020 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $7.2 million |
| 2019 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2018 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2017 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2014 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2013 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2012 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2011 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $832,000 |
| 2009 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $597,000 |
| 2008 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $767,000 |
| 2007 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2006 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2005 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2004 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2003 | 40 | 40 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2002 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $2.9 million |
| 2001 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2000 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $2.9 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Michigan norm
The median bill is $2,513 (Michigan: $2,904), 1.08% of a home’s value a year, against 1.25% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Gerrish Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: Michigan, or Michigan. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 23.1¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Gerrish Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Gerrish Township. Lake Township and Lyon Township and Markey Township and Beaver Creek Township and Higgins Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerrish Township | C+ | — | $232K | 1.08% | $1,010 |
| Lyon Township | C | — | $211K | 0.93% | $1,010 |
| Markey Township | B+ | — | $166K | 0.84% | $1,000 |
| Higgins Township | A | — | $103K | 1.40% | $1,000 |
| Beaver Creek Township | B | — | $154K | 0.95% | $1,040 |
| Lake Township | C+ | — | $299K | 0.81% | $970 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Gerrish Township
Is Gerrish Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gerrish Township costs more than 56% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #425 of 701 in Michigan. The typical home costs 4.2 years of the median household income of Roscommon County, MI ($55K).
How much is rent in Gerrish Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,010 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Gerrish Township?
The median bill is $2,513 a year, 1.08% of the median home value (Michigan: $2,904, 1.25%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Gerrish Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.