Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,869, established in 1868. 2.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Trash & recyclingRogers City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $183K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the county’s $59K median household income. It grades B overall, 306th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $49K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 79% of the country. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. 35% of residents are 65 or older in Rogers City, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On hazard risk, just 114 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Rogers City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Rogers City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Rogers City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 325 in 1880, a peak of 4,722 in 1960, 2,850 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rogers City, 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 Rogers City.
Rogers City trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
Rogers City’s property crime rate is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Rogers City Area Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 182 | C+ |
| Rogers City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 252 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
5.2 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, at 1,597 acres. The trail density in Rogers City is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herman Vogler Conservation Area | 1.6 mi | 101 |
| 2. Seagull Point Park | 0.9 mi | 55 |
| 3. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | — | 1,597 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15% of residents are under 18 in Rogers City. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 26% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.8 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Rogers City | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.2% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.7% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.7% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
The nearest emergency room, Mymichigan Medical Center Alpena, is 29.3 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,509 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rogers City’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
43% of Rogers City adults have high blood pressure. Rogers City beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 17% of Rogers City adults report frequent physical distress.
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Rogers City | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.1% | 77.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.2% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $183K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 30 miles. Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $183K, against 24% across Michigan.
Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026.
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $675 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 84% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Rogers City weather station records that 85 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Rogers City has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 78° and January nights drop to 14°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Rogers City has about as many jobs (913) as working residents, but only 288 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 1,413 in 2011 to 913.
About one in 4 of Rogers City’s working residents works in town. Since 2011, Rogers City has lost 500 jobs, to 913 in 2021. The top destinations are Alpena (8%), Alpena Township (3%) and Hillman Township (3%).
| Rogers City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Rogers City; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Rogers City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Rogers City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of and the largest city in Presque Isle County. The city had a population of 2,850 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from 2,827 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the northeast of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, along the shore of Lake Huron. Within the city's limits is the world's largest open-pit limestone quarry, the Port of Calcite. The port is one of the largest shipping ports on the Great Lakes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Rogers City.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers City | #306 | B | A | A | C+ | C− |
| Rogers Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pulawski Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Rogers Township and Pulawski Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rogers City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Rogers City grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #306 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health, A for safety and C+ 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 A.