Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1888 and has 223 residents today.
Rapid River’s midpoint rent is $99 a month, below both Michigan’s towns ($1,046 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Among 702 Michigan towns, just 4 have a lower typical July afternoon high than Rapid River. The biggest park or preserve is Masonville Township Park, at 26 acres. Rapid River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1912 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Ordered by what stands out in Rapid River.
Only 2% of working residents stay in Rapid River for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Escanaba (27%), Wells Township (9%) and Masonville Township (8%). Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles. The town’s average commute is 28 minutes.
| Rapid River | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 12° and about 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of households in Rapid River who are owner-occupiers is 89%. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 12% in value.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among adults in Rapid River, 16% report frequent physical distress. This Michigan town beats the Michigan average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. In Rapid River, 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 15% binge drink.
| Rapid River | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rapid River | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The trail network density for Rapid River is 0.7 miles per square mile. Trails run 0.9 miles in 1 park or preserve.
| Rapid River | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Masonville Township Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Rapid River is unincorporated, so Delta County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Where Rapid River’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rapid River
About 1 of every 100 Rapid River residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States
Rapid River is an unincorporated community in Masonville Township, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Rapid River had a population of 335. It is situated on the northern end of the Little Bay de Noc between the mouths of the Tacoosh and Rapid rivers with the mouth of the Whitefish River just to the east. U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) passes through Rapid River and joins with US 41 just west of town; the two then run concurrently from Rapid River south to Escanaba. The Rapid River ZIP code is 49878 and also serves areas in the nearby townships in Delta County of Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Ensign, Garden, Maple Ridge, Masonville, and Nahma. It also serves a small a…
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Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rapid River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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