Backus Township is a

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a County (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...

of Roscommon County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 294 at the 2020 census.

Communities

*Kirkland is a former community that was named after Denton Township supervisor Frank Kirkland, and a post office with that name existed from September 27, 1907 until September 29, 1934. Although named after the Denton Township supervisor, the community appears in Backus Township on a 1916 and 1930 map of Roscommon County. *Maple Valley is an unincorporated community located along the township line with Richfield Township at .

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (4.40%) is water. The southern portion of Backus Creek State Game Area is located within Backus Township.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 350 people, 142 households, and 100 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.57%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.86% Native American, and 0.57% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population. There were 142 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $32,222, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $35,833 versus $20,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $15,836. About 11.9% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Highways

* runs through the northeast corner of the township. * forms a brief boundary in the northwest corner. * runs east–west through the north portion. * is one of the shortest highways in the state and connects M-18 and M-55.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Townships in Roscommon County, Michigan Townships in Michigan