Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Albion grades C− overall, ranked 630th of 697 in Michigan, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 85 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $40K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $140K, 2.2 years of the Battle Creek metro’s $63K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. Albion’s violent crime rate is 11.4 per 1,000 residents, above both the Michigan town median (1.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). On health, just 45 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Albion is home to Albion College.
Where Albion beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Eugene P. Robertson HouseCensus counts: 881 in 1850, a peak of 12,749 in 1960, 7,700 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and a map from 1980 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Albion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albion, 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 Albion.
Albion trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is shaped by its college students, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Michigan rate.
Violent crime runs at 11.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Michigan rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 303 to 226 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Albion is 18.9 per 1,000 residents. Albion reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Marshall Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrington Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 236 | D |
| Marshall Opportunity High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 109 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,361 U.S. towns with household incomes like Albion’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
45% of Albion adults have obesity. Albion beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 15% of Albion adults have diabetes.
| Albion | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Albion | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 8.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $140K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.2 years of the Battle Creek metro’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $140K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
60% of households own their home in Albion. The typical Albion home is worth about $140,000, down 0.5% in a year, 47% below the Michigan typical home. Albion’s median rent is $775 a month.
| Albion | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $775 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.1 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Victory Park, at 41 acres.
| Albion | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Victory Park | 0.1 mi | 41 |
| 2. McClure Riverfront Park | — | 36 |
| 3. Alumni Field | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Albion.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Albion weather station records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of Michigan places with climate records.
Albion has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 17°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 701 Michigan towns, just 9 have a lower median household income than Albion. Since 2011, Albion has lost 277 jobs, to 1,743 in 2021. Most working residents leave Albion for work: only 17% work in town.
| Albion | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Albion. Close and well known come first.
37 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
10 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic20 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
36 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
35 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
35 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Albion
College town 24 of every 100 Albion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Albion on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Albion.
City in Michigan, United States
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census. Albion is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English-speaking settlers also called this area The Forks, because it is at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River. In the early 20th century, immigrants came to Albion from various eastern European nations, including the current Lithuania and Russia. More recently, Latino immigrants have come from Mexico and Central America. The Festival of the Forks has been held annually since 1967 to celebrate Albion's diverse ethnic he…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Albion.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion | #630 | C− | A− | D− | B | D |
| Sheridan Township | — | — | A | — | B | D |
| Albion Township | — | — | B | — | B− | D |
Sheridan Township and Albion Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sheridan Township and Albion Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Albion with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Albion grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #630 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
11 notable people were born here, including M. F. K. Fisher and Leonard Peter Schultz.
