Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grayling’s best subject grades are an A for walkability, civic life, and the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Grayling, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 8 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on incomes. M-27-Au Sable River Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Grayling has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Grayling beats most towns.
Where Grayling’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Grayling is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1910.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grayling, 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 Grayling.
Grayling’s median household income is $33,000, below both the Michigan town median ($77,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 27% of working residents work locally in Grayling. Since 2011, Grayling has added 91 jobs, to 1,822 in 2021.
| Grayling | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $33,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Crawford AuSable Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grayling Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 624 | B |
| Grayling Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 450 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Grayling beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 29% of Grayling adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Grayling | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Grayling | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Grayling has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Grayling’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The violent crime rate in Grayling is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Grayling | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Grayling
About 2 of every 100 Grayling residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
3 notable people were born in Grayling.
City in Michigan, United States
Grayling ( GRAY-ling) is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the only incorporated community in Crawford County. As of the 2020 census, Grayling had a population of 1,867. The city is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. The city is located in the middle of the Northern Michigan region at the junctions of Interstate 75, U.S. Route 127, M-72, and M-93. Grayling is well known for hosting the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon in July of every year since 1947. The city is named after the grayling species of fish once abundant in the Au Sable River, although the species has been extirpated in Michigan si…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Jim Harrison and Luke Jensen.
