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Michigan›Kalkaska County
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Orange TownshipMI

A town of 1,322.

Population
1,322
2025 Census estimate · +4.9% since 2020
Median home value
$201K
Census ACS
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
40.2
years
Jobs based here
62
A commuter town

Is Orange Township a good place to live?

Orange Township’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. 13% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Orange Township, below both the Michigan town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 3 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Orange Township. Only 57 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. Orange Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestAHazard riskA−Civic lifeA−Cost of livingWeakestDWalkabilityC−HealthC−Jobs & income

What makes Orange Township stand out

Where Orange Township beats most towns.

4Very low riskLowerHigher
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town

1,322 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Oliver Township · 5 miBoardman Township · 6 miKalkaska · 6 miKalkaska Township · 7 miExcelsior Township · 7 miGarfield Township · 9 mi
Boardman TownshipOliver TownshipGarfield TownshipKalkaska TownshipExcelsior TownshipBoardman TownshipOliver TownshipGarfield TownshipKalkaska TownshipExcelsior TownshipOrange Township

How Orange Township grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Orange Township is from typical.

How grading works

Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 4% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.2 of 20; 1.9% of households have no carDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $201K, 2.5 years of the Traverse City metro’s $81K median household incomeA−Open →HealthKalkaska Memorial Health Center 6.4 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & income$70K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsBehind 59% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life3.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.2–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Orange Township: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Orange Township, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Orange Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsKalkaska Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereOrange Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49646, 49680, 4963349646 65% · 49680 31% · 49633 3%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 Orange Township.

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

Orange Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 96% of U.S. communities.

4risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
4Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
Full pageOrange Township’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery low riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters5 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready0.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HealthC−

Residents of Orange Township are less healthy than 81% of U.S. towns

Orange Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Orange Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Orange Township.

19%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
Orange TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%14%14%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)19%15%14%
Depression (CDC PLACES)28%27%23%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)40%36%35%
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
What stands outOrange TownshipMI
More older adults who have lost all their teeth15.9%10.2%
More adults with COPD10.8%8.1%
More smokers18.5%14.6%
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center
6.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
Full pageOrange Township’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore smokersHospitals & doctors nearby6.4 miles to an ER · Kalkaska Memorial Health CenterHow adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distressEvery CDC estimateBetter than MI on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−

Orange Township has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Most working residents leave Orange Township for work: only 1% work in town. Orange Township’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Since 2011, Orange Township has added 45 jobs, to 62 in 2021.

1%work in town
Orange TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work30 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line11%8.9%9.6%
Median household income$70,000$77,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Orange Township1%
Kalkaska Township29%
Traverse City17%
Garfield Township6%
Suttons Bay Township3%
22 mi
median commute distance
62
jobs based in Orange Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Full pageOrange Township’s work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here62 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work1% work in Orange TownshipCommute times30 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 22 miles

Census LEHD 2021 · ACS

Climate

Orange Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Orange Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Orange Township is 80°F.

132″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter15–30°
Spring30–53°
Summer54–78°
Fall37–57°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 24
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
Full pageOrange Township’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 80°, January lows 12°Rain & snow132″ of snow a winter · 35 inches of rain and snow a yearHeating & coolingMostly a heating billThen and now+2.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC

5.4% of Orange Township is conserved land

22 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

5.4%conserved
Orange TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.6 miles per square mile0.30.4
Conserved land5.4%4.4%4.3%
5.4%
conserved · 1,192 of 22,136 acres
22 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit0.2 mi316
Full pageOrange Township’s outdoors pageOpen the page
Trail map22 miles of trail, mappedPick a walk0.2 miles of trail · Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City UnitConserved land5.4% conserved · 1,192 acres protectedQuestions“Where can I hike in Orange Township?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Orange Township

17pages on Orange Township
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 59% of MI districtsHealthC−Better than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−Work & commuteC−$70K median household income · 62 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 4% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
OutdoorsC22 mi of trails · 5% conserved landPlacesAttractions4 nearby · Higgins Lake 24 miLibraryA−Kalkaska County LibraryColleges
The story
Town Hall & politicsClimate80° summer highs · 132″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Orange Township; the nearest are

Kirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling21.8 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids68.4 mi$14,778 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Orange Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Orange Township for work

Where Orange Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

29% → Kalkaska Township Kalkaska Township 29% 17% → Traverse City Traverse City 17% 6% → Garfield Township Garfield Township 6% 3% → Suttons Bay Township Suttons Bay Township 3% 3% → Boardman Township Boardman Township 3% 2% → Kentwood Kentwood 2% Orange Township · 1% stay
62jobs based in Orange Township
1%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2021

About Orange Township

Civil township in Michigan, United States

Orange Township is a civil township of Kalkaska County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,250 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
35 sq mi
Elevation
1,106 ft

Questions about Orange Township

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Orange Township, MI expensive?

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−.