Pine River, Alma, Mich, 1895
Pine River Township’s story
Pine River Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1935 on.
Explore the history →Population
2,357
2025 Census estimate · −0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$156K
Census ACS
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
38.2
years
Jobs based here
1,056
Balanced
Is Pine River Township a good place to live?
Pine River Township’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living. On cost of living, just 125 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Only 33 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on the outdoors. Pine River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
StrongestACost of living
How Pine River Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Pine River Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $156K, 2.5 years of the Alma area’s $64K median household incomeAOpen →HealthMymichigan Medical Center Alma 2.4 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 2.9% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listC+Open →Jobs & income$71K median household incomeB−Open →SchoolsBehind 52% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksDOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life0 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pine River Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pine River Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Alma water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpGrangerTrash haulerTown site
SchoolsAlma Public SchoolsSt. Louis Public Schools2 districts serve Pine River Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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.govWho runs elections herePine River Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48801, 48880, 4883248801 63% · 48880 36% · 48832 1%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 Pine River Township.
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Pine River Township
Pine River Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–32°
Spring35–56°
Summer57–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 13
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC
Residents of Pine River Township are less healthy than 65% of U.S. towns
Pine River Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 19% of Pine River Township adults report frequent mental distress, above both Michigan’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (17%). 34% of adults feel lonely in Pine River Township.
35%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Pine River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Pine River Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.5% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.6% | 6.9% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 84.6% | 87.4% |
Mymichigan Medical Center Alma
2.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
More children than Michigan overall
On this, Pine River Township is where Michigan’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Children under 18 are 28% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Pine River Township is 38.2 years.
38.2median age · MI 40.2
| Pine River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.2 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 26% | 29% |
Pine River TownshipMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school34%
Some college24%
Associate’s15%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Pine River Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 1.1 jobs for every working resident, Pine River Township draws in 1,015 commuters
Most working residents leave Pine River Township for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Pine River Township fell to 1,056 in 2021, 428 fewer than in 2011. Pine River Township’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
4%work in town
| Pine River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Pine River Township4%
Alma18%
St. Louis9%
Ithaca6%
Mount Pleasant5%
14 mi
median commute distance
1,056
jobs based in Pine River Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Pine River Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pine River Township
17pages on Pine River Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pine River Township
Alma CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Alma3.1 mi$49,552 tuitionCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Mount Pleasant12.6 mi$14,760 in-state tuitionSaginaw Chippewa Tribal CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mount Pleasant13.2 mi$2,730 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Pine River Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Pine River Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Pine River Township is a civil township of Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,348 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 31 sq mi
- Elevation
- 761 ft
Pine River Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Pine River Township.
St. LouisAlmaSeville TownshipCoe TownshipBethany TownshipArcada TownshipPine River Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
| St. Louis | #507 | C+ | B+ | B+ | C+ | D |
| Alma | #511 | C+ | B+ | C | B− | C+ |
| Seville Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C− |
| Coe Township | #549 | C | B− | — | B+ | C− |
| Bethany Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | C− |
| Arcada Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | C+ |
Pine River Township, Seville Township, Bethany Township and Arcada Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Pine River Township, Seville Township, Coe Township, Bethany Township and Arcada Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pine River Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Pine River Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pine River 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.