A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Alma$1,120/mo

Typical home $167K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.72% · or rent about $836/mo · Housing →

Pine River Township$960/mo

Typical home $156K (Census) · tax rate 1.12% · Housing →

The difference: $150 a month, about $1,800 a year, between Alma and Pine River Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Alma and Pine River Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AlmaPine River Township

Alma ↔ Pine River Township3.0 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

167 Pine River Township residents work in Alma (18% of its workers)

98 Alma residents work in Pine River Township (3.3% of its workers)

Work & commute in Pine River Township →

Report cards

Alma places higher on 12 of 16 MI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

CAlmaSafer than 34% of U.S. towns –Pine River TownshipNot graded

Schools

BAlmaBetter than 60% of districts in the state –Pine River TownshipNot graded

Health

C+AlmaHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns CPine River TownshipHealthier than 35% of U.S. towns

12Alma

4Pine River Township

Lists won, of 16 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #186#630 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #315#710 Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #439#233 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #641#442 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 723 towns #529#640 Fastest growingGrowth · 723 towns #377#278 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #260#344 Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #38#120

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Alma’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

AlmaPine River Township

Snow a year39″39″

January low15°F 15°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)164d 164d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th 49th

Outdoors & history

AlmaPine River Township

Trails5 mi —

Conserved land4.9%—

Settled1853 —

National Register places2 —

Archive photos27 3

Famous people born here14 —

Community

AlmaPine River Township

Library hours a week50 hrs —

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

AlmaPine River Township

People

Population 9,396Highest 2,687Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.1%Lowest MI: +2% +3%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 33.1±2.6Lowest 18% below MI 38.2±5.4Highest 5% below MI

Pine River Township and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 19.3%±3Lowest MI: 21.2% 28.3%±6.3Highest MI: 21.2%

Pine River Township and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 17.5%±2.8Lowest MI: 18.6% 22.1%±1.9Highest MI: 18.6%

Pine River Township and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28%Highest MI: 32.4% 25%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 17.8%±2.1Highest MI: 6.1% 2.1%±1.5Lowest MI: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $53,307±$9kLowest 27% below MI $71,073±$2kHighest about the MI average

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $115,900±$15kLowest 50% below MI $156,200±$16kHighest 33% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $836±$39 26% below MI —

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,991Highest 31% below MI $1,744Lowest 40% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.7%±13Highest MI: 50.4% 0%±100Lowest MI: 50.4%

Alma and Pine River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 21.7%Highest MI: 13.2% 9.5%Lowest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.9%Lowest MI: 73.2% 98.5%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 8 yrs older than MI 1979Highest 7 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 20% below MI 21 minHighest 13% below MI

Work from home 10.7%±3.9Highest MI: 13.5% 10.1%±5.3Lowest MI: 13.5%

Alma and Pine River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 24.1%Highest 4.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.65Highest 1.14Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Mount Pleasant (7%)Alma (18%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Pine River Township18% work in Alma

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.9%Highest 0.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 5.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.2Highest 3.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #270 of 493 in MI—

School district Alma Public Schools · Ashley Community Schools—

High school in town Alma Senior High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 15.9 —

Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Alma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alma’s Town Square.

Pine River Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pine River Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Alma and Pine River Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Alma

+ Compare

Arcada Township1,684 people · $219K homes

+ Compare

St. Louis7,367 people · $119K homes

Towns like Alma

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Ishpeming6,181 people · $112K homes

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Sault Ste. Marie13,335 people · $139K homes

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Charlotte9,277 people · $154K homes

+ Compare

Harper Woods15,116 people · $157K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Alma vs Pine River Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $150 more a month in Alma

Alma and Pine River Township share a border

Alma places higher on 12 of 16 MI lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Alma and Pine River Township

Bordering Alma

Towns like Alma

Post to Alma

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