William R. Kirby Sr. House · National Register of Historic Places
Adams Township’s story
189 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1959 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1837Adams Township is settled
Adams TownshipMI
4 bordering townsMap →
William R. Kirby Sr. House · Photo: Leonards Camera Shop · Public domain
Population
2,330
2025 Census estimate · +0% since 2020
Median home value
$164K
Census ACS
Household income
$58K
median
Median age
46.3
years
Jobs based here
165
A commuter town
Is Adams Township a good place to live?
The best of Adams Township’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and history; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Only 40 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on cost of living. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Adams Township, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Only 119 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Adams Township State Game Area, at 179 acres. Adams Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Adams Township stand out
Where Adams Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Adams Township for work
Where Adams Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
165jobs based in Adams Township
3%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Adams Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Adams Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $164K, 2.5 years of the Hillsdale area’s $64K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.7 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listA−Open →HealthHillsdale Hospital 5.4 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsSchools trail most of those comparedCOpen →Jobs & incomeBelow the middle of the towns comparedCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailCOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterAOpen →Civic life1.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Adams Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Adams Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterState Road Country Living Mhc water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Adams Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAdams Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49242, 49262, 49266, 4925049242 51% · 49262 32% · 49266 12% · 49250 5%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Adams Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Adams Township has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
For Adams Township, the median household income is $58,000. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based here fell to 165 in 2021, 61 fewer than in 2011. In Adams Township, 5.7% of workers do their job from home.
3%work in town
| Adams Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.7% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Adams Township3%
Hillsdale16%
Jonesville7%
Ann Arbor4%
Jackson4%
21 mi
median commute distance
165
jobs based in Adams Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
SchoolsC
Public schools in Adams Township fall behind 71% of Michigan districts
Public schools: the North Adams-Jerome Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
29%of MI districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North AdamsJerome Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 138 | C− |
| North AdamsJerome MiddleHigh SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 163 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
HealthC
Adams Township is less healthy than 72% of U.S. towns
For adults in Adams Township, the share who worry about having enough food is 16%. Two figures for adults locally: 17% smoke cigarettes, 16% report frequent physical distress.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Adams Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Adams Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 17.3% | 14.6% |
Hillsdale Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Adams Township has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The FEMA risk score in Adams Township is 26 of 100. FEMA puts 48% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 24% to tornadoes. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Adams Township: snowy winters and pleasant summers
The peak summer temperature for Adams Township comes to 82°F.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–33°
Spring36–57°
Summer58–80°
Fall41–60°
Oct 12
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1%conserved
1%
conserved · 236 of 22,921 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adams Township State Game Area | 0.3 mi | 179 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Adams Township
18pages on Adams Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Adams Township
About 2 of every 100 Adams Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Adams Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Adams Township is a civil township of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,262 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,145 ft
Adams Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Adams Township.
Wheatland TownshipJefferson TownshipMoscow TownshipHillsdale TownshipAdams Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Township | — | — | A | — | C | C |
| Wheatland Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Jefferson Township | #593 | C− | B+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Moscow Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | C |
| Hillsdale Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C |
Adams Township, Wheatland Township, Moscow Township and Hillsdale Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Adams Township, Wheatland Township, Jefferson Township, Moscow Township and Hillsdale Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Adams Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Adams Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Adams Township, MI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.