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%

Pine River Township$960/mo

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

Alma$1,120/mo

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

Pine River Township and Alma share a border

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

Pine River TownshipAlma

Pine River Township ↔ Alma3.0 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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

4Pine River Township

12Alma

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

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

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Pine River Township’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

Pine River TownshipAlma

Snow a year39″39″

January low15°F 15°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)164d 164d

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

Outdoors & history

Pine River TownshipAlma

Trails—5 mi

Conserved land—4.9%

Settled—1853

National Register places—2

Archive photos3 27

Famous people born here—14

Community

Pine River TownshipAlma

Library hours a week—50 hrs

Colleges in town—1

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

Pine River TownshipAlma

People

Population 2,687Lowest 9,396Highest

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

Median age 38.2±5.4Highest 5% below MI 33.1±2.6Lowest 18% 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 28.3%±6.3Highest MI: 21.2% 19.3%±3Lowest 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+ 22.1%±1.9Highest MI: 18.6% 17.5%±2.8Lowest 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+ 25%Lowest MI: 32.4% 28%Highest MI: 32.4%

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

Cost of living

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

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

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

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

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MI: 50.4% 50.7%±13Highest 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 9.5%Lowest MI: 13.2% 21.7%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 10.1%±5.3Lowest MI: 13.5% 10.7%±3.9Highest 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 4.4%Lowest 24.1%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 15.8 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 18% work in Alma3% work in Pine River Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 4.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 5.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 13Highest

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

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.

Pine River Township neighborsTown Square →

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

Alma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alma’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pine River Township and Alma

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

Bordering Pine River Township

+ Compare

St. Louis7,367 people · $119K homes

+ Compare

Seville Township1,877 people · $136K homes

+ Compare

Coe Township3,064 people · $161K homes

+ Compare

Bethany Township1,162 people · $172K homes

Towns like Pine River Township

+ Compare

Midland Township2,117 people · $185K homes

+ Compare

Sheridan Township2,535 people · $183K homes

+ Compare

Garfield Township2,543 people · $251K homes

+ Compare

Dallas Township2,497 people · $212K 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.

Pine River Township vs Alma

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $150 more a month in Alma

Pine River Township and Alma 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 Pine River Township and Alma

Bordering Pine River Township

Towns like Pine River Township

Post to Pine River Township

Check your email