California TownshipMI
A town of 1,190, settled in 1850.
Is California Township a good place to live?
The best of California Township’s subject grades is a B for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 41% of residents live below the poverty line in California Township, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 35 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the outdoors, just 3 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. California Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes California Township stand out
Where California Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | California Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.6% | 10.2% |
California Township has grown 15% since 2010
1,040 counted in 2010 and 1,181 in 2020; an estimated 1,190 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How California Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far California Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to California Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in California 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in California Township.
More of California Township’s adults smoke cigarettes than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
14% of California Township adults have diabetes, above both the Michigan town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (12%). In California Township, 31% of adults get no exercise outside work. Among 702 Michigan towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than California Township.
| California Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | California Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.6% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 22.6% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
California Township stands out in Michigan and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
Half commute less than 16 miles. The average commute for California Township comes to 20 minutes. The top destinations are Coldwater (25%), Quincy Township (7%) and Coldwater Township (5%).
| California Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The biggest natural risk in California Township is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 43% of California Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in California Township brings four seasons and pleasant summers
The range runs from 16° on a January night to 82° on a July afternoon, with about 39 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around California Township. Close and well known come first.
31 mi MuseumAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
33 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic34 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
17 mi GardenSlayton Arboretum
18 mi MuseumE.O. Grosvenor HousePhoto credits
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: Michael Walter, a.k.a. Cuppysfriend, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Slayton Arboretum: Brother Atticus, CC0 · E.O. Grosvenor House: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
Everything we know about California Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of California Township
About 0 of every 100 California Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
1,190 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
About California Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
California Township is a civil township of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,181 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 21 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,060 ft
Questions about California Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is California Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.