Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,207, settled in 1873.
Kalkaska Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $174K, 2.1 years of the Traverse City metro’s $81K median household income. It grades B overall, 272nd of 697 graded towns in Michigan. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Kalkaska Township’s density of trails is 3.0 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest place to walk is Sand Lakes Quiet Area, 630 acres with 4.3 miles of trail. Kalkaska Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Kalkaska Township beats most towns.
0.9% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Kalkaska Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 496 in 1880, a low of 496 in 1880, 2,132 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska Township.
Kalkaska Township draws workers from Rapid River Township and beyond and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
In 8 parks and preserves, walkers have 212 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 160.9 mi | 23,009 |
| 2. Sand Lakes Quiet Area | 4.3 mi | 630 |
| 3. Mill Pond Park | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The largest public high school is Kalkaska High School, with 439 students. The Kalkaska Public Schools runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 517 | C+ |
| Kalkaska High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 439 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
3,133 jobs are based in Kalkaska Township, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one worker in three stays in Kalkaska Township for work. The town had 3,133 jobs in 2021, up 626 from 2011. The share of residents in Kalkaska Township who live below the poverty line: 14%. Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles.
| Kalkaska Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Kalkaska Township is 4 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 41% come from inland flooding and 37% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 96% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Kalkaska Township, just over four in five adults had a checkup this year, close to Michigan’s towns (80%) and above U.S. towns (79%). Two fifths of Kalkaska Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Kalkaska Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Kalkaska Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Kalkaska weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 128 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Kalkaska weather station records that 132 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 13°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Kalkaska Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Kalkaska Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Kalkaska Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Village in Michigan, United States
Kalkaska ( kal-KASS-kə) is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Kalkaska County. The village had a population of 2,132 at the 2020 census. Kalkaska is located within Kalkaska Township and is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. The village has hosted the National Trout Festival since 1935.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Kalkaska Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska Township | #272 | B | A+ | — | C+ | C |
| Clearwater Township | #324 | B | A | — | C+ | B |
| Excelsior Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Whitewater Township | #118 | A | B− | — | A | A− |
| Boardman Township | — | — | A | — | C | C− |
| Orange Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C− |
| Rapid River Township | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | C+ |
Excelsior Township, Boardman Township, Orange Township and Rapid River Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Kalkaska Township, Clearwater Township, Excelsior Township, Whitewater Township, Boardman Township, Orange Township and Rapid River Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Kalkaska Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Kalkaska Township grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #272 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and C+ for schools.
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+.