South Branch Township (Crawford), MI location, 2018
South Branch Township’s story
South Branch Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and a map from 1963 on.
Explore the history →South Branch TownshipMI
A town of 1,779.
Population
1,779
2025 Census estimate · +7.9% since 2020
Typical home
$133K
+2.1% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
60.2
years
Jobs based here
55
A commuter town
Is South Branch Township a good place to live?
The best of South Branch Township’s subject grades are an A for the outdoors and civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. 35% of residents are 65 or older in South Branch Township, against 19% in Michigan’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 10 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. 51% of the land in South Branch Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Huron National Forest, 30,524 acres with 111.6 miles of trail. On history, just 73 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. South Branch Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes South Branch Township stand out
Where South Branch Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
South Branch Township4.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA
54% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
South Branch Township$133K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingB+
2.2 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 72% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A shrinking town
South Branch Township has shrunk 12% since 2010
2,007 counted in 2010 and 1,638 in 2020; an estimated 1,779 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How South Branch Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far South Branch Township is from typical.
Jobs & income$52K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthMunson Healthcare Grayling Hospital 14 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 2.8 of 20; 9.7% of households have no car; 5.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsBeat 56% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
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 South Branch Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Branch Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have South Branch 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 hereSouth Branch Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48653, 4973848653 91% · 49738 9%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 South Branch Township.
OutdoorsA
South Branch Township has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
209 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in South Branch Township is 2.0 miles per square mile.
50.9%conserved
50.9%
conserved · 34,165 of 67,080 acres
209 mi
of trails · 2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huron National Forest | 111.6 mi | 30,524 |
| 2. Au Sable State Forest - Grayling Unit | 68.8 mi | 15,545 |
| 3. Meads Landing | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B+
A typical South Branch Township home is worth about $133K
The typical South Branch Township home is worth about $133,000, up 2.1% in a year, 50% below the Michigan typical home. 92% of South Branch Township households own their home.
$133KZillow home value
| South Branch Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $805 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
South Branch Township$133K
Michigan$264K
+2.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in South Branch Township is higher
South Branch Township’s FEMA risk score is 79 of 100.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of South Branch Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave South Branch Township for work: only 4% work in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in South Branch Township. Jobs based in South Branch Township grew to 55 in 2021, 38 more than in 2011.
4%work in town
| South Branch Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In South Branch Township4%
Grayling11%
Higgins Township9%
Grayling Township8%
Gerrish Township5%
21 mi
median commute distance
55
jobs based in South Branch Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
HealthC
South Branch Township is less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
South Branch Township beats the Michigan average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| South Branch Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
7 better16 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | South Branch Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 8.9% |
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital
14 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In South Branch Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
South Branch Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 11° and about 88 inches of snow falls in a winter.
88″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–29°
Spring30–54°
Summer53–78°
Fall37–57°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 23
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about South Branch Township
18pages on South Branch Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Branch Township
About 1 of every 100 South Branch Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Get outside
209 miles of trails in South Branch Township
50.9% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About South Branch Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
South Branch Township is a civil township of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,638 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 106 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,135 ft
South Branch Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with South Branch Township.
Grayling TownshipAu Sable TownshipBig Creek TownshipBeaver Creek TownshipLovells TownshipHiggins TownshipSouth Branch Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Branch Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | C |
| Grayling Township | #502 | C+ | B+ | — | B+ | C− |
| Au Sable Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Big Creek Township | #646 | D | A− | — | C | D |
| Beaver Creek Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | C |
| Lovells Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Higgins Township | — | — | A | — | B | C− |
South Branch Township, Beaver Creek Township and Higgins Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Branch Township, Grayling Township, Big Creek Township, Beaver Creek Township and Higgins Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Au Sable Township and Lovells Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Branch Township with a neighbor →
Questions about South Branch Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Branch 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+.