Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Charlotte gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $240K, 3.3 years of the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income. It grades B− overall, 422nd of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 39 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 76% of U.S. towns. On the plus side, it has 12 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Charlotte’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 31 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on history. Charlotte's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Charlotte beats most towns.
Eaton County Courthouse
Census counts: 2,253 in 1870, 9,299 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 2 maps from 1949 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Charlotte is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charlotte, 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 Charlotte.
Bennet Park, at 150 acres with 9.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bennet Park | 9.4 mi | 150 |
| 2. Lincoln Park | 0.1 mi | 25 |
| 3. South Water Tower Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Charlotte Public Schools. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Upper Elementary SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 527 | B− |
| Charlotte Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 644 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Charlotte’s violent crime rate is 4.2 per 1,000 residents, against 1.9 in Michigan’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Charlotte’s property crime rate is 17.4 per 1,000 residents. Charlotte reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less.
| Charlotte | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Charlotte has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 17° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,546 U.S. towns with household incomes like Charlotte’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Charlotte tracks Michigan closely on all 32 CDC measures. 29% of Charlotte adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Charlotte | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 4 of Charlotte’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Charlotte is 19 minutes. Jobs based in Charlotte grew to 5,372 in 2021, 291 more than in 2011.
| Charlotte | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
67% of households own their home in Charlotte. The typical Charlotte home is worth about $240,000, up 4% in a year, 9% below the Michigan typical home.
| Charlotte | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $887 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Charlotte. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
21 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
21 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
19 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
31 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year28 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park ZooNorth Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Charlotte
About 3 of every 100 Charlotte residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
10.2% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
5 places in Charlotte on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Charlotte.
City in Michigan, United States
Charlotte ( shar-LOT) is a city in and the county seat of Eaton County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,299. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county on the boundary between Eaton Township and Carmel Township but is politically independent of both. Interstate 69 serves the city and connects it to the state capital of Lansing. It is located 21 miles (34 km) from downtown Lansing.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Charlotte.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | #422 | B− | B+ | C− | B− | C |
| Eaton Township | #281 | B | A− | — | B− | C+ |
| Carmel Township | #456 | C+ | B | — | B− | C+ |
Eaton Township and Carmel Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Charlotte with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Charlotte grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #422 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.
12 notable people were born here, including Richard Clyde Taylor and Harry T. Morey.
