Plat book of Osceola County, Michigan, 1900
Sylvan Township’s story
Sylvan Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1900.
Explore the history →Sylvan TownshipMI
A town of 1,012.
Population
1,012
2025 Census estimate · +3.3% since 2020
Median home value
$119K
Census ACS
Household income
$44K
median
Median age
45.6
years
Jobs based here
87
A commuter town
Is Sylvan Township a good place to live?
Sylvan Township’s best subject grades are a B+ for civic life and a B for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 17 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on incomes. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Sylvan Township, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 84 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. Sylvan Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,012 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Orient TownshipMiddle Branch TownshipOsceola TownshipFreeman TownshipSylvan Township
How Sylvan Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Sylvan Township is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →HealthCorewell Health Reed City Hospital 19.7 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsBehind 67% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $119K, 2 years of the county’s $58K median household incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 11.9% of households have no car; 9.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4 miles of trails; 9% conserved landBOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life2.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
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 Sylvan Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sylvan 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 Sylvan 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 hereSylvan Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP codes49679, 4963149679 51% · 49631 49%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 Sylvan Township.
HealthC−
Health in Sylvan Township trails 81% of U.S. towns
Sylvan Township beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sylvan Township, above both the Michigan town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 42% of adults have high blood pressure in Sylvan Township.
19%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sylvan Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Sylvan Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.2% | 10.2% |
Corewell Health Reed City Hospital
19.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Sylvan Township has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sylvan Township for work: only 1% work in town. Sylvan Township’s median household income is $44,000. Jobs based in Sylvan Township grew to 87 in 2021, 69 more than in 2011.
1%work in town
| Sylvan Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sylvan Township1%
Evart17%
Cadillac6%
Reed City5%
Grand Rapids4%
24 mi
median commute distance
87
jobs based in Sylvan Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Sylvan Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Sylvan Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Sylvan Township is 82°F.
61″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring31–55°
Summer54–80°
Fall37–58°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
8.9%conserved
8.9%
conserved · 1,983 of 22,369 acres
4.4 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pere Marquette State Forest - Cadillac Unit | 1.6 mi | 1,005 |
| 2. Crawford Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Sylvan Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sylvan Township.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windCold waves
18
paid flood claims since 2005
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sylvan Township
18pages on Sylvan Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sylvan Township; the nearest are
Mid Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrison18.7 mi$6,132 in-state tuitionFerris State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Big Rapids24.5 mi$14,778 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Sylvan Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A shrinking town
Sylvan Township has shrunk 9% since 2010
1,099 counted in 2010 and 967 in 2020; an estimated 1,012 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
About Sylvan Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Sylvan Township is a civil township of Osceola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 967 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,004 ft
Questions about Sylvan Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sylvan Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.