First National Bank Building · National Register of Historic Places
Mastodon Township’s story
141 years in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1885Mastodon Township is settled
Mastodon TownshipMI
A town of 587, settled in 1885.
6 bordering townsMap →
First National Bank Building · Photo: Yooperann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
587
2025 Census estimate · +1.6% since 2020
Median home value
$124K
Census ACS
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
62.2
years
Jobs based here
52
A commuter town
Is Mastodon Township a good place to live?
8.9% of residents are under 18 in Mastodon Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. Among 702 Michigan towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Mastodon Township. 28% of the land in Mastodon Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Wilderness Shores Recreation Area, at 10,551 acres with 9.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Mastodon Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
587 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
FlorenceCrystal Falls TownshipStambaugh TownshipSagola TownshipMansfield TownshipBreitung TownshipMastodon Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mastodon Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mastodon Township, and how to reach them.
PowerUpper Michigan Energy Resources17.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAlpha water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mastodon 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 hereMastodon Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49920, 4990249920 78% · 49902 22%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 Mastodon Township.
Who lives here
43% of residents are 65 or older
People 65 and older are 43% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 9% of residents (21% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
62.2median age · MI 40.2
Mastodon TownshipMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
31%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school42%
Some college19%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate12%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 39% and 67% women
The Census survey reached too few of Mastodon Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.1 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Mastodon Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.4% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 31.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Very low risk in Mastodon Township, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
10risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Mastodon Township has set aside nearly a quarter of its land for conservation
169 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Mastodon Township’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile.
27.6%conserved
27.6%
conserved · 23,779 of 86,211 acres
169 mi
of trails · 1.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Copper Country State Forest - Crystal Falls Unit | 88.6 mi | 23,419 |
| 2. Wilderness Shores Recreation Area | 9.8 mi | 10,551 |
| 3. Stager Lake Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
Most of Mastodon Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Mastodon Township for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Mastodon Township is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Crystal Falls (15%), Iron Mountain (12%) and Crystal Falls Township (10%).
2%work in town
| Mastodon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Mastodon Township2%
Crystal Falls15%
Iron Mountain12%
Crystal Falls Township10%
Iron River6%
21 mi
median commute distance
52
jobs based in Mastodon Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Mastodon Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Mastodon Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 3° and about 66 inches of snow falls in a winter.
66″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–25°
Spring26–52°
Summer51–77°
Fall33–54°
Sep 25
typical first frost
May 24
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Mastodon Township stands out in Michigan and nationally, with more of its adults who have high blood pressure
45% of Mastodon Township adults have high blood pressure. Mastodon Township beats the Michigan average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 15% of Mastodon Township adults have diabetes.
| Mastodon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
6 better16 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Mastodon Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.8% | 8.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.3% | 7% |
Aspirus Iron River Hospital & Clinics
17.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mastodon Township
16pages on Mastodon Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mastodon Township; the nearest are
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · LAnse52.3 mi$5,000 in-state tuitionNorthern Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Marquette56.3 mi$14,277 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Mastodon Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Mastodon Township for work
Where Mastodon Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
52jobs based in Mastodon Township
2%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Mastodon Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Mastodon Township is a civil township of Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 668, and by 2020 its population was 576. Mastodon was so named from the fact mastodon bones were discovered when sinking a mine shaft. Mastodon may have also been named for the size of the large, iron ore body which was struck at the mine site; as "Mastodon" at that time, being a relatively new discovery, was also being used as a slang adjective, meaning large/huge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 135 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,365 ft
Questions about Mastodon Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mastodon Township, MI a good place to live?
Mastodon Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.