Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,769, settled in 1837. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Few places in the country grade higher. Ada Township earns an A, ranked 34th of 697 in Michigan. The median household earns $168K, its schools outperform 97% of the state's, and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 97% of the country. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $666K for a typical one and 8 times the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ada Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 29%. Ada Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 322 Michigan towns we compare have a higher typical home value than Ada Township.
Where Ada Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ada Vista Elementary School | K–4 | 446 |
| Ada Elementary School | PK–4 | 293 |
| Ada Christian School | PK–8 | 695 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Ada Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ada Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Ada Township.
Ada Township has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
At 8 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $666K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Plainfield Township is next at $408K.
Ada Township’s median rent is $2,139 a month. Typical home values rose 6% in the year to September 2026. 93% of Ada Township households own their home.
| Ada Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,139 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #8 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $666K.
Its public schools are run by the Forest Hills Public Schools. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 528 | A+ |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 999 | A+ |
| Ada Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 293 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 6.3% of its 15,298 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide. Against the 1,734 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ada Township’s, it is healthier than 77%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
15% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ada Township. Ada Township beats the Michigan average on 26 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 8.5% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ada Township.
| Ada Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ada Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
31 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The trail density in Ada Township is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Cannonsburg State Game Area, 476 acres with 4.5 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seidman Park | 8 mi | 425 |
| 2. Cannonsburg State Game Area | 4.5 mi | 476 |
| 3. Roselle Park | 3.9 mi | 253 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ada Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ada Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 66 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ada Township has about as many jobs (6,989) as working residents, but only 606 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Ada Township for work: only 10% work in town. Only 7 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a higher median household income than Ada Township. Since 2011, Ada Township has added 613 jobs, to 6,989 in 2021.
| Ada Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $168,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ada Township. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
8 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
5 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park10 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
7 mi Theme parkRamona Park
11 mi Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball ZooGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
8 within 15 miles of the center of Ada Township
About 4 of every 100 Ada Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
3 notable people were born in Ada Township.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Ada Township ( AY-də) is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 14,388 at the 2020 census. The majority of the township is included in the Forest Hills census-designated place, which is used only for statistical purposes. Ada Township is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about 3.0 miles (4.8 km) east of the city of Grand Rapids. The township is the corporate home of Alticor and its subsidiary companies Amway North America and Amway.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Ada Township.
At #34 in MI, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Grand Rapids Township (A) comes closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada Township | #34 | A | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Cascade Township | #61 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Forest Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cannon Township | #89 | A | C | — | A+ | A |
| Grand Rapids Township | #43 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Vergennes Township | #163 | A− | C− | — | A | A− |
| Lowell Township | #63 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Northview | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Ada Township, Cascade Township, Cannon Township, Grand Rapids Township, Vergennes Township and Lowell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Forest Hills and Northview aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ada Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Ada Township grades A overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #34 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
3 notable people were born here, including Kirk O'Bee and Adam Grinwis.
