Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,052, incorporated in 1885.
The best of Iron River Township’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for incomes. 65% of the land in Iron River Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 107 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on the outdoors. Iron River Township has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bethany Lutheran Church and Nelson E. Fisher House-High Banks. Iron River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Iron River Township beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Iron River Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,117 in 1890, a peak of 4,665 in 1930, 3,007 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 2 maps from 1981 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Iron River 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 Iron River Township.
Across 5 parks and preserves: 263 miles of trail. Iron River Township’s concentration of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ottawa National Forest - Iron River Ranger District | 165.8 mi | 81,483 |
| 2. Ottawa National Forest - Kenton Ranger District | 28.4 mi | 18,243 |
| 3. Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit | 0.7 mi | 82 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan. Iron River Township: 14% of residents are under 18. Among 702 Michigan towns, just 3 have a higher median age than Iron River Township.
| Iron River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 40% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 59.6 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 14% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 26% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.9 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Iron River Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 30.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.2% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.7% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
This Michigan town beats the Michigan average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Iron River Township. Among adults in the town, 16% have diabetes and 14% binge drink.
| Iron River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Iron River Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.7% | 11.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.7% | 77.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.5% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 4% of working residents stay in Iron River Township for work; the rest commute out. Employers in Iron River Township shed 931 jobs between 2011 and 2021, to 152. Its middle household income comes in at $56,000. The median commute is under 20 miles.
| Iron River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
70% of Iron River Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 21%. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In July, afternoons reach 78°; in January, nights fall to 3°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Iron River Township; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Iron River Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
65.3% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
3 places in Iron River Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Michigan, United States
Iron River is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the largest city in Iron County. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 3,007. The city is situated at the southeast corner of Iron River Township, though it is administratively autonomous.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $154,000. That is 2.7 years of the area's median household income ($55,940 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
