Rapid River TownshipMI
A town of 1,301, settled in 1871.
Is Rapid River Township a good place to live?
The best of Rapid River Township’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 21 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on cost of living. Rapid River Township’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Rugg Pond Natural Area, at 94 acres. Rapid River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Rapid River Township stand out
Where Rapid River Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
1,301 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Rapid River Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Rapid River Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Rapid River Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rapid River 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 Rapid River Township.
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Rapid River Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rapid River Township has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Rapid River Township for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2011, Rapid River Township has added 131 jobs, to 304 in 2021. Rapid River Township’s average trip to work is 29 minutes, above both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Rapid River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Rapid River Township
Rapid River Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Rapid River Township is 80°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health in Rapid River Township trails 63% of U.S. towns
Rapid River Township beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 40% of Rapid River Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Rapid River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Rapid River Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.5% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Rapid River Township has set aside 0.5% of its land for conservation
76 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit | 48.7 mi | 8,574 |
| 2. Rugg Pond Natural Area | 0.5 mi | 94 |
| 3. Rapid River Township Park | 0.2 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Rapid River Township sells for about $165K
91% of households own their home in Rapid River Township.
| Rapid River Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $992 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Rapid River Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rapid River Township; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Rapid River Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
97% of working residents leave Rapid River Township for work
Where Rapid River Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Rapid River Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Rapid River Township is a civil township of Kalkaska County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,245 at the 2020 census. The township gets its name from the Rapid River, which flows through the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,033 ft
Questions about Rapid River Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rapid River Township, MI expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $185,000, 30% below the Michigan typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.