Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oscoda Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $152K for a typical one, or 3 years of the county’s $50K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 479th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $43K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. On the plus side, it has 338 miles of trail and 61% conserved land. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Oscoda Township, above both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Huron National Forest, at 46,425 acres with 206.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Oscoda Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Oscoda Township beats most towns.
61.2% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Oscoda Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,593 in 1890, 916 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oscoda 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 Oscoda Township.
Oscoda Township trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is a second-home town and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Michigan.
Its 51,129 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Michigan town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #10 of 701 in Michigan.
338 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Oscoda Township’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huron National Forest | 206.1 mi | 46,425 |
| 2. Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit | 91.7 mi | 14,707 |
| 3. Old Orchard Park | 2.9 mi | 220 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 3,372 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oscoda Township’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
46% of Oscoda Township adults have high blood pressure. Oscoda Township beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 17% of Oscoda Township adults have diabetes.
| Oscoda Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Oscoda Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.5% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $152K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 42 miles. At about $152K, home values are up 8% in five years, against a rise of 24% across Michigan.
The median rent in Oscoda Township is $697 a month. The typical Oscoda Township home is worth about $152,000, about the same as a year ago, 42% below the Michigan typical home.
| Oscoda Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $697 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oscoda Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 2,062 working residents takes 17.3 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Oscoda Township for work: only 18% work in town. The top destinations are Au Sable Township (12%), Tawas City (4%) and Baldwin Township (3%).
| Oscoda Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Oscoda Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 12° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Oscoda Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Oscoda Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Oscoda ( ah-SKOH-də) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP had a population of 916 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Au Sable Township and Oscoda Township at the mouth of the Au Sable River along Lake Huron.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Oscoda Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscoda Township | #479 | C+ | B+ | B | B+ | D |
| Mikado Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Au Sable Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | D |
| Plainfield Township | #558 | C | B− | — | B+ | D |
| Wilber Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greenbush Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C− |
| Curtis Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | D |
Au Sable Township, Greenbush Township and Curtis Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Au Sable Township, Plainfield Township, Greenbush Township and Curtis Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Mikado Township and Wilber Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oscoda Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oscoda Township grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #479 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health, B for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
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+.