Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,815, settled in 1891.
Norway gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $159K, 2.5 years of the Iron Mountain area’s $65K median household income. It grades A overall, 105th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. On the plus side, its public schools beat 90% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Norway’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On walkability, just 88 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Marion Park, at 62 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Norway beats most towns.
6.2% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Norway is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,170 in 1900, a peak of 4,974 in 1910, 2,840 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1901 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norway, 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 Norway.
Norway pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Michigan norm, pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and has commutes shorter than most of Michigan.
12 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
| Norway | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Strawberry Lake Park | 1.5 mi | 60 |
| 2. Marion Park | 1.2 mi | 62 |
| 3. Norway Myr | 0.5 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $159K.
Its public schools are run by the Norway-Vulcan Area Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 242 | A |
| Norway High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 183 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Norway grades A overall with a typical home of about $159K, below the Michigan typical value; only 13 of the 103 Michigan towns graded A− or better can say that. At 2.5 years of the Iron Mountain area’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $159K) costs less against local pay than in 86% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Norway home is worth about $159,000, down 1.4% in a year, 40% below the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Norway is $885 a month.
| Norway | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $885 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Norway beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Norway.
| Norway | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Norway | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.9% |
| More adults with arthritis | 33.2% | 29.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Norway has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Norway’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,171 working residents takes 14 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Norway for work: only 13% work in town. 14% of Norway residents live below the poverty line. Since 2011, Norway has lost 128 jobs, to 882 in 2021.
| Norway | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Norway; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Norway residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Norway is a city in Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,840 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI micropolitan statistical area. The city is in the southwest of Norway Township, but is politically independent. It is on U.S. Highway 2 (US 2), which connects with M-95 about six miles (ten kilometers) west in Iron Mountain and with US 41 about 21 miles (34 kilometers) to the east. US 141 north merges with US 2 about four miles (six kilometers) west of the city. US 8 has its eastern terminus in the city and crosses the Menominee River to continue west in Wisconsin.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Norway.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | #105 | A | B+ | — | A | C |
| Norway Township | — | — | B+ | — | A | C+ |
| Breitung Township | #282 | B | B | — | A | C+ |
Norway Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Norway, Norway Township and Breitung Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Norway with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Norway grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #105 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and A 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 B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Art Van Damme and James Gustafson.