Plat book of Osceola County, Michigan, 1900
Rose Lake Township’s story
127 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
- 1899Rose Lake Township is settled
Rose Lake TownshipMI
A town of 1,461, settled in 1899.
Population
1,461
2025 Census estimate · +4.1% since 2020
Median home value
$175K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
51.4
years
Jobs based here
97
A commuter town
Is Rose Lake Township a good place to live?
Rose Lake Township’s best subject grade is an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a D for walkability. On incomes, just 105 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Rose Lake Township's public schools beat 74% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. 14% of the land in Rose Lake Township is conserved, where Michigan’s towns sit at 4.4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is Rose Lake Park, at 47 acres. Rose Lake Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Rose Lake Township stand out
Where Rose Lake Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,461 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Hartwick TownshipLe Roy TownshipCedar TownshipSherman TownshipLe RoyRose Lake Township
How Rose Lake Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Rose Lake Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.2 of 20; 3.6% of households have no car; 0.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 20% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →HealthCorewell Health Reed City Hospital 12.3 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $175K, 3 years of the county’s $58K median household incomeB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
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 Rose Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rose Lake Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Rose Lake Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereRose Lake Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4965549655 100%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 Rose Lake Township.
HealthC−
Health in Rose Lake Township trails 78% of U.S. towns
Rose Lake Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Rose Lake Township, above both Michigan’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (14%). 18% of Rose Lake Township adults smoke cigarettes.
22%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Rose Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Rose Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 18.2% | 14.6% |
Corewell Health Reed City Hospital
12.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Rose Lake Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
20risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Rose Lake Township has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Rose Lake Township for work: only 2% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Rose Lake Township. Jobs based in Rose Lake Township fell to 97 in 2021, 212 fewer than in 2011.
2%work in town
| Rose Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Rose Lake Township2%
Reed City10%
Cadillac10%
Evart7%
Grand Rapids7%
18 mi
median commute distance
97
jobs based in Rose Lake Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Rose Lake Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Rose Lake Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Rose Lake Township’s July high is 80°F.
74″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–30°
Spring31–54°
Summer54–78°
Fall37–57°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 19
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA−
14.1% of Rose Lake Township is conserved land
36 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Rose Lake Township is 1.0 miles per square mile.
14.1%conserved
14.1%
conserved · 3,127 of 22,211 acres
36 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Cadillac Unit | 18.3 mi | 3,168 |
| 2. Rose Lake Park | — | 47 |
| 3. Rose Lake Forest Beach Access | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rose Lake Township
18pages on Rose Lake Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rose Lake Township; the nearest are
Ferris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids23.8 mi$14,778 in-state tuitionMid Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrison31 mi$6,132 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Rose Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Rose Lake Township for work
Where Rose Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
97jobs based in Rose Lake Township
2%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Rose Lake Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Rose Lake Township is a civil township of Osceola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,406 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,309 ft
Questions about Rose Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rose Lake 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 B+.