MIMap-doton-BurrOak, 2005
Burr Oak Township’s story
189 years in pictures
Census counts: 666 in 1860, 753 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
- 1837Burr Oak Township is settled
Burr Oak TownshipMI
Population
2,635
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$194K
+5.5% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
38.6
years
Jobs based here
165
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#404 of 697 in MI
Is Burr Oak Township a good place to live?
Burr Oak Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $194K, 2.9 years of the Sturgis area’s $66K median household income. It grades B− overall, 404th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. On civic life, just 58 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns do worse. 11% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Burr Oak Township, below both Michigan’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (29%). The biggest park or preserve is Plumb Lake County Park, at 129 acres.
What makes Burr Oak Township stand out
Where Burr Oak Township beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Typical home value
Burr Oak Township$194K
Michigan$264K
Cost of livingB+
More affordable than 74% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1837
A long history
A history going back 189 years.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Burr Oak Township for work
Where Burr Oak Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
165jobs based in Burr Oak Township
3%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Burr Oak Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Burr Oak Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthSturgis Hospital 4.9 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income165 jobs based hereB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 5.2% of households have no car; 3.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailC−Open →HistoryB+Open →Civic life0.6 library visits per resident; 0.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
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 Burr Oak Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burr Oak Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBurr Oak water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Burr Oak Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsBurr Oak Community School DistrictSturgis Public Schools2 districts serve Burr Oak Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereBurr Oak Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49030, 4909149030 72% · 49091 28%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 Burr Oak Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most working residents commute out of Burr Oak Township
21% of working residents cross a state line to work, Elkhart among the top destinations. Burr Oak Township has 165 jobs for its 1,184 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Burr Oak Township for work: only 3% work in town. 4% of Burr Oak Township residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Sturgis (23%), Sturgis Township (5%) and Elkhart (4%).
3%work in town
| Burr Oak Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Burr Oak Township3%
Sturgis23%
Sturgis Township5%
Elkhart4%
Coldwater3%
18 mi
median commute distance
165
jobs based in Burr Oak Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Burr Oak Township’s schools trail 62% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Burr Oak Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
38%of MI districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burr Oak Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 138 | C− |
| Burr Oak High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 85 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Burr Oak Township, with inland flooding at the top
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
HealthC
Residents of Burr Oak Township are less healthy than 70% of U.S. towns
Burr Oak Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Burr Oak Township.
30%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Burr Oak Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Burr Oak Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.8% | 6.9% |
| More smokers | 17.8% | 14.6% |
Sturgis Hospital
4.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
28th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade B+
For cost of living, Burr Oak Township earns a B+
Typical home values rose 5.5% in the year to September 2026.
$194KZillow home value
| Burr Oak Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $977 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Burr Oak Township$194K
Michigan$264K
+5.5%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Burr Oak Township
Burr Oak Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring37–59°
Summer59–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 7 of 22,870 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plumb Lake County Park | — | 129 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 30 attractions →Air Zoo and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Burr Oak Township. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Theme parkAir Zoo20 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo29 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
35 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
37 mi MuseumAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
33 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of ArtsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: Michael Walter, a.k.a. Cuppysfriend, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Burr Oak Township
18pages on Burr Oak Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Burr Oak Township
About 2 of every 100 Burr Oak Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Burr Oak Township
Village in Michigan, United States
Burr Oak is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Burr Oak had a population of 753. The village is located within Burr Oak Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1851
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 879 ft
- ZIP code
- 49030
Burr Oak Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Burr Oak Township.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Sherman Township (C) comes closest.
SturgisSherman TownshipFawn River TownshipColon TownshipBronson TownshipBurr Oak Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burr Oak Township | #404 | B− | B+ | — | C+ | C |
| Sturgis | #587 | C− | A− | C− | C+ | C− |
| Sherman Township | #515 | C | B | — | B− | C− |
| Fawn River Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C |
| Colon Township | #546 | C | A− | — | D | C− |
| Bronson Township | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
Fawn River Township and Bronson Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Burr Oak Township, Sherman Township, Fawn River Township, Colon Township and Bronson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Burr Oak Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Burr Oak Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Burr Oak Township, MI a good place to live?
Burr Oak Township grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #404 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and C+ for schools.
Is Burr Oak 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 B+.