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Riverside Township vs McBain

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (14.9× in McBain) and rent (3.1× in Riverside Township).

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Riverside Township, MIOne of the healthiest townsMissaukee County · 1,306 people
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McBain, MIA regional job hubMichigan · 706 people
Swap order
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.

Riverside TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health69% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Riverside Township →
McBainA regional job hub
Work612 jobsbased in McBain, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 84%of MI districts All about McBain →
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.

Street grid14.9×
McBain has the more walkable street grid
McBain 22.4Riverside Township 1.5
Rent3.1×
Rent runs higher in Riverside Township
Riverside Township $921McBain $298
Jobs per worker3.6×
McBain is more of a job hub
McBain 2.56Riverside Township 0.71
Home values+46%
Homes cost more in Riverside Township
Riverside Township $206,700McBain $141,700
Kids under 18+14.3 pts
Riverside Township has more kids
Riverside Township 33.3%McBain 19%
Homeowners+27.1 pts renters
McBain has more renters
Riverside Township 89.2%McBain 62.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $300 more a month in McBain

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.

Riverside Township$1,200/mo
Typical home $207K (Census) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $921/mo · Housing →
McBain$1,510/mo
Typical home $242K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $298/mo · Housing →

The difference: $300 a month, about $3,600 a year, between McBain and Riverside 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

Riverside Township and McBain share a border

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

Riverside TownshipMcBainRiverside TownshipMcBain
Riverside Township ↔ McBain3.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
26 Riverside Township residents work in McBain (7% of its workers)
11 McBain residents work in Riverside Township (4.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Riverside Township →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
–Riverside TownshipNot graded A−McBainBetter than 84% of districts in the state
Health
CRiverside TownshipHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns –McBainNot graded
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
Riverside TownshipMcBain
Snow a year74″74″
January low10°F10°F
July high80°F80°F
Growing season (days)125d125d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th16th
Outdoors & history
Riverside TownshipMcBain
Trails5 mi0 mi
Conserved land1.2%2.3%
Settled—1887
Community
Riverside TownshipMcBain
Library hours a week—51 hrs
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.

Riverside TownshipMcBain
People
Population 1,306Highest 706Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.7%Lowest MI: +2% -2.9%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 32.1±4.3Lowest 20% below MI 37.8±8.1Highest 6% below MI
McBain and Riverside Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 33.3%±4.2Highest MI: 21.2% 19%±3.4Lowest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 17.9%±3.1Lowest MI: 18.6% 24.1%±7Highest MI: 18.6%
McBain and Riverside Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.7%Highest MI: 32.4% 9.6%Lowest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±0.5Lowest MI: 6.1% 3.3%±2.7Highest MI: 6.1%
McBain and Riverside Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,188±$14kHighest about the MI average $47,083±$18kLowest 35% below MI
Riverside Township and McBain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $206,700±$19kHighest 11% below MI $141,700±$36kLowest 39% below MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $921±$122Highest 18% below MI $298±$101Lowest 74% below MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,429Lowest 51% below MI $1,643Highest 43% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.9%±60.7Lowest MI: 50.4% 62.6%±47.2Highest MI: 50.4%
McBain and Riverside Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.7%Lowest MI: 13.2% 12.3%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89.2%Highest MI: 73.2% 62.1%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 5 yrs newer than MI 1962Lowest 10 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 12% below MI 18 minLowest 25% below MI
Work from home 11.8%±4.5Highest MI: 13.5% 3.7%±2.9Lowest MI: 13.5%
Work in townworking residents 5.4%Lowest 12.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miHighest 10.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.71Lowest 2.56Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Cadillac (18%)Cadillac (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in McBain5% work in Riverside Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.2%Lowest 2.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.5Lowest 22.4Highest
Schools
School district —McBain Rural Agricultural Schools
High school in town —McBain High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.1
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.

Riverside Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Riverside Township’s Town Square.

McBain neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to McBain’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Riverside Township

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+ Compare
Reeder Township801 people · $168K homes
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Clam Union Township884 people · $154K homes
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Marion Township1,275 people · $125K homes
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Richland Township1,779 people · $197K homes

Towns like Riverside Township

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Flynn Township1,238 people · $239K homes
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Sebewa Township1,615 people · $213K homes
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Newark Township1,198 people · $235K homes
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Orange Township1,170 people · $240K 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.

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