Pierson TownshipMI
The town was settled in 1870 and has 3,516 residents today.
Is Pierson Township a good place to live?
Overall, Pierson Township earns an A−: better than 76% of U.S. towns, and 186th of 697 in Michigan. Cost of living is its strong suit — a typical home costs about $302K, 3.6 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. Add incomes to its strengths: the median household earns $86K. What holds it back is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. The town’s average trip to work is 39 minutes, against 25 minutes in Michigan’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
What makes Pierson Township stand out
Where Pierson Township beats most towns.
97% of working residents leave Pierson Township for work
Where Pierson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Pierson Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Pierson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Pierson Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pierson 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pierson Township.
Pierson Township trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and sends most of its workers to Grand Rapids and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Pierson Township has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Expected losses in Pierson Township break down as 54% from inland flooding and 15% from tornadoes. Compared with 87% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pierson Township’s schools rank ahead of 59% of Michigan districts
The largest public high school is Tri County Senior High School, with 473 students. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Tri County Area Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 780 | B− |
| Tri County Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 473 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Few of Pierson Township’s working residents work in town
Pierson Township has 395 jobs for its 1,420 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 38.7 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
The share of workers in Pierson Township who work from home: 6.3%. Jobs based in Pierson Township grew to 395 in 2021, 158 more than in 2011. The top destinations are Grand Rapids (19%), Wyoming (5%) and Kentwood (5%).
| Pierson Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Pierson Township
In Pierson Township, the midsummer high is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.8% of the land in Pierson Township is protected from building
Walkers can cover 5.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Pierson Township’s trail density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Pierson Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pierson Township Community Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 2. Little Whitefish Lake Public Access | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Health in Pierson Township trails 62% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, Sheridan Community Hospital, is 23.4 miles away in a straight line.
17% of Pierson Township adults binge drink. Two figures for adults in the town: 28% have been diagnosed with depression, 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Pierson Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Pierson Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.5% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For cost of living, Pierson Township earns an A
Homes are within reach (about $302K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles.
Pierson Township’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $859 a month. Typical home values rose 7.9% in the year to September 2026. 90% of households live in a home they own in the town.
| Pierson Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $859 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Pierson Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Pierson Township; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Pierson Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
About Pierson Township
Village in Michigan, United States
Pierson is a village in Montcalm County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 229 at the 2020 census, up from 172 in 2010. The village is within Pierson Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 909 ft
- ZIP code
- 49339
Pierson Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Pierson Township.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Nelson Township (B+) comes closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierson Township | #186 | A− | A | — | B | C+ |
| Ensley Township | #256 | B+ | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Maple Valley Township | — | — | A+ | — | B | C |
| Reynolds Township | #243 | B+ | A+ | — | B | C |
| Nelson Township | #238 | B+ | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
Maple Valley Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Pierson Township, Ensley Township, Maple Valley Township, Reynolds Township and Nelson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pierson Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Pierson Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pierson Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Pierson Township grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #186 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Pierson 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.