Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,830, settled in 1854.
Tawas City’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for incomes. Tawas City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Tawas City beats most towns.
Where Tawas City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Tawas City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 712 in 1880, 1,834 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1988 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tawas 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 Tawas City.
The average commute in Tawas City is 14 minutes. About one in five of the town’s working residents works in town. Also worth knowing: in Tawas City, the median household income is $46,000, below both the Michigan town median ($77,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Jobs based locally fell to 1,196 in 2021, 891 fewer than in 2011.
| Tawas City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its three schools are below. The 2 public schools in Tawas City teach 220 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emanuel Lutheran School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 60 | – |
| Alternative Educational Academy of Iosco CountyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 171 | C− |
| Iosco RESA Special EducationTop results in townGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 49 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Tawas City. Against the Michigan average, Tawas City comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 10. Among adults locally, 17% report frequent physical distress and 14% binge drink.
| Tawas City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Tawas City | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.7% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of the losses FEMA expects in Tawas City, 66% come from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, Tawas City has seen 7 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 15° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Tawas City, the median rent is $806 a month, against $1,046 a month in Michigan’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Values rose 8.6% in the 12 months to September 2026. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 77%.
| Tawas City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $806 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Tawas City’s level of property crime comes in at 5.4 per 1,000 residents. In Tawas City, the rate of reported violence is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Tawas City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Across 6 parks and preserves: 0.4 miles of trail. Tawas City’s trail density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Tawas City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tawas Sports Complex | — | 17 |
| 2. Tawas City Park Beach | 0.1 mi | 8 |
| 3. North Street Ball Field | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tawas City; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Tawas City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
3 notable people were born in Tawas City.
City in Michigan, United States
Tawas City ( TOW-wahss) is a city in and the county seat of Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,834 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Tawas Township, but the two areas are administered autonomously.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Tawas City.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tawas City | — | — | B | C+ | B+ | C |
| Tawas Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | C |
| Baldwin Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C |
Tawas City, Tawas Township and Baldwin Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Tawas Township and Baldwin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Tawas City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($50,066 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Jeff Janis and George Prescott.
