TownsendNorthHouse1883, 1883
Vassar Township’s story
177 years in pictures
Census counts: 670 in 1880, 2,727 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 4 maps from 1963 on.
- 1849Vassar Township is settled
Vassar TownshipMI
Trash day: ThursdayPopulation
3,871
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Median home value
$123K
Census ACS
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
42.8
years
Jobs based here
194
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#561 of 697 in MI
Is Vassar Township a good place to live?
Vassar Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $123K for a typical one, or 1.9 years of the county’s $64K median household income. It grades C overall, 561st of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and residents are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Vassar Township’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Only 6 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Vassar Township.
What makes Vassar Township stand out
Where Vassar Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Vassar Township for work
Where Vassar Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
194jobs based in Vassar Township
2%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Vassar Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Vassar Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for walkability (better than 2%), so the C overall blends very different results.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.5 of 20; 6.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Cost of livingA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →HealthMclaren Caro Region 11.7 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trails; 5% conserved landB−Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life2.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
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 Vassar Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vassar Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWood Valley water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereVassar Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48768, 4874648768 75% · 48746 25%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 Vassar Township.
Vassar Township sends most of its workers to Frankenmuth and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Michigan (mostly inland flooding).
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The FEMA risk score in Vassar Township is higher than in most of Michigan or the rest of the country
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $877 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Only 2 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Vassar Township. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Vassar Township since 2013.
83risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2013
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC+
Public schools in Vassar Township fall behind 65% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Vassar Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
35%of MI districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 366 | C− |
| Juniata Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 150 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Vassar Township earns a C− for health
42% of adults have obesity in Vassar Township. Vassar Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Vassar Township.
24%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Vassar Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Vassar Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.1% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 17.4% | 14.6% |
Mclaren Caro Region
11.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
19th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most working residents commute out of Vassar Township
Vassar Township has 194 jobs for its 1,325 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 35.4 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Vassar Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2011, Vassar Township has added 69 jobs, to 194 in 2021. The top destinations are Frankenmuth (9%), Fremont Township (6%) and Saginaw (5%).
2%work in town
| Vassar Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Vassar Township2%
Frankenmuth9%
Fremont Township6%
Saginaw5%
Vassar4%
22 mi
median commute distance
194
jobs based in Vassar Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 2% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Vassar Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Vassar Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–33°
Spring35–56°
Summer58–81°
Fall41–60°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB−
4.6% of Vassar Township is conserved land
4.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Vassar State Game Area, at 281 acres. Vassar Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
#462for trails in MI
| Vassar Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
4.6%
conserved · 1,042 of 22,462 acres
4.7 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vassar State Game Area | — | 281 |
| 2. Vassar Roadside Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Vassar Memorial Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Vassar Township
18pages on Vassar Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Vassar Township; the nearest are
Mott Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Flint23.8 mi$6,845 in-state tuitionUniversity of Michigan-FlintUniversity or college · Public · Flint24.2 mi$14,704 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Vassar Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Vassar Township
City in Michigan, United States
Vassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,727 at the 2020 census and 2,697 in 2010 (an increase of about 1.1%). The city is located on the western edge of Vassar Township but is administratively autonomous.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1849
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 643 ft
- ZIP code
- 48768–48769, 48768
- Area code
- 989
Vassar Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Vassar Township.
VassarJuniata TownshipTuscola TownshipMillington TownshipFremont TownshipVassar Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vassar Township | #561 | C | A+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Vassar | #676 | D | B+ | D | C+ | C |
| Juniata Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Tuscola Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C |
| Millington Township | #473 | C+ | A− | — | B | C− |
| Fremont Township | #550 | C | A | — | C+ | C− |
Juniata Township and Tuscola Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Vassar Township, Juniata Township, Tuscola Township, Millington Township and Fremont Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Vassar Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Vassar Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Vassar Township, MI a good place to live?
Vassar Township grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #561 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Vassar 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 A+.