Rust Township, MI, 2025
Rust Township’s story
123 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
- 1903Rust Township is settled
Rust TownshipMI
With 564 residents, this town was settled in 1903.
Population
564
2025 Census estimate · +7.4% since 2020
Median home value
$174K
Census ACS
Household income
$49K
median
Median age
56.1
years
Jobs based here
26
A commuter town
Is Rust Township a good place to live?
36% of residents are 65 or older in Rust Township, against 19% in Michigan’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Rust Township’s density of trails is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Turtle Lake Club, 11,335 acres with 54.8 miles of trail. Rust Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
564 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Avery TownshipHillman TownshipLoud TownshipClinton TownshipGreen TownshipOssineke TownshipRust Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Rust Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rust Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPresque Isle Elec & Gas Coop23.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Rust 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 hereRust Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP codes49746, 4861949746 98% · 48619 2%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 Rust Township.
Work & commute
Most of Rust Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Rust Township: 1.2% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Hillman Township (11%), Alpena (10%) and Briley Township (10%). The middle household income for Rust Township comes to $49,000. Half commute less than 27 miles.
1%work in town
| Rust Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Rust Township1%
Hillman Township11%
Alpena10%
Briley Township10%
Alpena Township8%
27 mi
median commute distance
26
jobs based in Rust Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Rust Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
For Rust Township, the July high is 81°F.
78″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–30°
Spring30–53°
Summer54–79°
Fall37–57°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 22
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults in Rust Township have high blood pressure than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
For adults in Rust Township, the share who had a checkup this year is 83%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Rust Township beats Michigan on 1 and trails on 14. In Rust Township, 17% of adults have diabetes, and 13% binge drink.
| Rust Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better17 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Rust Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.4% | 10.2% |
Mymichigan Medical Center Alpena
26.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Rust Township, mostly inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Rust Township is 40 of 100. 79% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 9%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in three fifths of U.S. communities.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Rust Township keeps 3.9% of its land conserved
Walkers can cover 126 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves.
3.9%conserved
3.9%
conserved · 1,793 of 45,723 acres
126 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Turtle Lake Club | 54.8 mi | 11,335 |
| 2. Lockwood Lake Ranch | 13.8 mi | 1,900 |
| 3. Remington Club | 4.2 mi | 761 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rust Township
16pages on Rust Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rust Township; the nearest are
Alpena Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Alpena27 mi$5,250 in-state tuitionKirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling43.4 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionSaginaw Valley State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · University Center98.3 mi$12,930 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Rust Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Rust Township for work
Where Rust Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
26jobs based in Rust Township
1%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Rust Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Rust Township is a civil township of Montmorency County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 519 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 72 sq mi
- Elevation
- 784 ft
Questions about Rust Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rust Township, MI a good place to live?
Rust Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.