HigginsTownshipRoscommonMI, 2009
Higgins Township’s story
124 years in pictures
The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
- 1902Higgins Township is settled
Higgins TownshipMI
A town of 1,892, settled in 1902.
Population
1,892
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Median home value
$103K
Census ACS
Household income
$55K
median
Median age
53.4
years
Jobs based here
924
A job hub
Is Higgins Township a good place to live?
Higgins Township’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A+ for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for incomes. On cost of living, just 26 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. 13% of residents are under 18 in Higgins Township, below both the Michigan town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Higgins Township’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On the outdoors, just 27 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Backus Creek State Game Area, at 3,086 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Higgins Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Higgins Township stand out
Where Higgins Township beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 842 people come to Higgins Township for work
Where Higgins Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
924jobs based in Higgins Township
15%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Higgins Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Higgins Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $103K, 1.9 years of the county’s $55K median household incomeAOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →HealthMymichigan Medical Center West Branch 17.4 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 7% of households have no car; 2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 38% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsBeat 56% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors15% conserved landA+Open →HistoryDOpen →Civic life4.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Higgins Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Higgins Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVillage of Roscommon water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers86% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Higgins Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHiggins Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48653, 4865648653 98% · 48656 2%Census 2020
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 Higgins Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Higgins Township has 1.7 jobs for every working resident, and 842 people commute in
Most working residents leave Higgins Township for work: only 15% work in town. The average trip to work in Higgins Township is 20 minutes. Since 2011, Higgins Township has added 225 jobs, to 924 in 2021.
15%work in town
| Higgins Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Higgins Township15%
Grayling9%
Grayling Township5%
Gerrish Township5%
Markey Township4%
22 mi
median commute distance
924
jobs based in Higgins Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
HealthC−
Residents of Higgins Township are less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns
Higgins Township beats the Michigan average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Higgins Township.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Higgins Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
3 better17 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Higgins Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 11.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 77.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.6% | 7% |
Mymichigan Medical Center West Branch
17.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Higgins Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Higgins Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Higgins Township’s July high is 81°F.
66″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–30°
Spring30–54°
Summer53–79°
Fall37–57°
Sep 23
typical first frost
May 19
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14.8%conserved
14.8%
conserved · 6,896 of 46,605 acres
130 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit | 110.5 mi | 33,765 |
| 2. Tisdale Triangle | 5.4 mi | 1,482 |
| 3. Backus Creek State Game Area | 1.8 mi | 3,086 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Low risk in Higgins Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Higgins Township
18pages on Higgins Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Higgins Township
About 3 of every 100 Higgins Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Higgins Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Higgins Township is a civil township of Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,864 at the 2020 census. The village of Roscommon is located within the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 73 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,243 ft
Higgins Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Higgins Township.
Backus TownshipAu Sable TownshipGerrish TownshipMarkey TownshipRichfield TownshipSouth Branch TownshipHiggins Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higgins Township | — | — | A | — | B | C− |
| Backus Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Au Sable Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gerrish Township | #448 | C+ | C+ | B+ | B | C+ |
| Markey Township | — | — | B+ | — | C | C+ |
| Richfield Township | #488 | C+ | A | A | C+ | D |
| South Branch Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | C |
Higgins Township, Markey Township and South Branch Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Higgins Township, Markey Township and South Branch Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Backus Township and Au Sable Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Higgins Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Higgins Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Higgins 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.