Alger was first called Jagger, and under the latter name was laid out in 1882 by Elias Jagger, and named for him. The present name is for Russell A. Alger, 20th Governor of Michigan. The village was incorporated in 1896.
As of the census of 2010, there were 860 people, 347 households, and 232 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 413 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 97.2% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 347 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couplesliving together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 37.1 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 888 people, 371 households, and 251 families living in the village. The population density was 3,138.0 people per square mile. There were 402 housing units at an average density of 1,420.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 99.44% White, 0.11% Native American, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population. There were 371 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 79.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $26,447, and the median income for a family was $33,438. Males had a median income of $29,250 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,742. About 13.5% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.
