Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mecosta Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $231K for a typical one, or 3.8 years of the Big Rapids area’s $61K median household income. It grades C− overall, 618th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with strong wind at the top. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Mecosta Township, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 75 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Brower Park, 163 acres with 1.9 miles of trail.
Where Mecosta Township’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 Mecosta Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 189 in 1880, 386 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Mecosta 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 Mecosta Township.
Mecosta Township trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Michigan (mostly strong winds).
16 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Mecosta Township: 3, covering 173 acres. For Mecosta Township, the trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Mecosta Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brower Park | 1.9 mi | 163 |
| 2. Davis Bridge Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Rogers Dam Pond Public Access | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Just 3% of Mecosta Township’s working residents have a job in town. The town had 507 jobs in 2021, up 355 from 2011. The top destinations are Big Rapids (19%), Grand Rapids (9%) and Big Rapids Township (6%).
| Mecosta Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $684 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Paid flood insurance claims in Mecosta Township since 1988: 28. FEMA puts 45% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to strong winds, and 39% to inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,234 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mecosta Township’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
In Mecosta Township, 28% of adults get no exercise outside work. Two figures for adults locally: 40% have high blood pressure, 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Mecosta Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mecosta Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A winter brings about 64 inches of snow, with January nights at 14° and July afternoons at 82°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For Mecosta Township, the median age is 45.9 years. Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Population is up 5.4% here since 2020, to 2,891 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Here, 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 32% in Michigan as a whole.
| Mecosta Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 26% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Mecosta Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.4% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.9% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.6% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
Homes are within reach (about $231K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 34 miles.
Mecosta Township’s median rent comes in at $852 a month. Values rose 5.7% in the 12 months to September 2026. Among households here, 81% live in a home they own.
| Mecosta Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $852 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mecosta Township
About 9 of every 100 Mecosta Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Village in Michigan, United States
Mecosta is a village in Mecosta County, Michigan, United States. The population was 386 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 475 in 2024. The village is within Morton Township. Mecosta Township, which is also in Mecosta County, is located several miles to the west.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mecosta Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecosta Township | #618 | C− | B | — | C+ | C |
| Big Rapids Township | #608 | C− | C− | — | B | C+ |
| Austin Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Goodwell Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aetna Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | D |
| Stanwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Austin Township and Aetna Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mecosta Township, Big Rapids Township, Austin Township and Aetna Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Goodwell Township and Stanwood aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mecosta Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mecosta Township grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #618 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.