Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Nester Township vs Backus Township

Next-door neighbors in Roscommon County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (42.5× in Backus Township) and street grid (3.3× in Backus Township).

×
Nester Township, MIAn outdoors townRoscommon County · 183 people
×
Backus Township, MIAn outdoors townRoscommon County · 378 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $190 more a month in Backus Township

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.

Nester Township$810/mo
Typical home $132K (Census) · tax rate 1.11% · Housing →
Backus Township$1,010/mo
Typical home $168K (Census) · tax rate 0.90% · Housing →

The difference: $190 a month, about $2,300 a year, between Backus Township and Nester 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

Nester Township and Backus Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Nester TownshipBackus TownshipNester TownshipBackus Township
Nester Township ↔ Backus Township6.4 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Nester TownshipBackus Township
Snow a year49″66″
January low13°F11°F
July high82°F81°F
Growing season (days)148d125d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd52nd
Outdoors & history
Nester TownshipBackus Township
Conserved land57.2%13.8%
National Register places1—
Archive photos43
Community
Nester TownshipBackus Township
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

Nester TownshipBackus Township
People
Population 183Lowest 378Highest
Median age 64±3.9Highest 59% above MI 53.3±6.7Lowest 33% above MI
Kids under 18 3.3%±12.4Lowest MI: 21.2% 8.2%±4.9Highest MI: 21.2%
Backus Township and Nester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 47%±22.4Highest MI: 18.6% 28.6%±4.9Lowest MI: 18.6%
Nester Township and Backus Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14%Lowest MI: 32.4% 15.3%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±8.5Lowest MI: 6.1% 9%±8.4Highest MI: 6.1%
Backus Township and Nester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,750±$44kHighest 13% below MI $62,500±$15kLowest 14% below MI
Nester Township and Backus Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $132,100±$54kLowest 43% below MI $167,900±$40kHighest 28% below MI
Backus Township and Nester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,461Lowest 50% below MI $1,513Highest 48% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 85.2%±79.6 MI: 50.4%
Below poverty line 10.9%Lowest MI: 13.2% 14.4%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 97.7%Highest MI: 73.2% 84.1%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest 14 yrs newer than MI 1979Lowest 7 yrs newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 46 minHighest 88% above MI 24 minLowest about the MI average
Work from home 4.4%±8.4Lowest MI: 13.5% 7.6%±6.5Highest MI: 13.5%
Backus Township and Nester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 44.8 miHighest 27.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.02Lowest 0.85Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Denton Township (15%)Denton Township (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Backus TownshipFew work in Nester Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 57.2%Highest 13.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 147.2 miHighest 67.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.1 miHighest 1.9 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.3Lowest 1.0Highest
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.

Nester Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Nester Township’s Town Square.

Backus Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Backus Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Nester Township and Backus Township

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

Bordering Nester Township

Towns like Nester Township

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.

Post to Nester Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in