Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clare grades C− overall, 569th of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $41K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On health, just 93 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Clare has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Clare Congregational Church and Clare Downtown Historic District. Clare's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Clare beats most towns.
Where Clare’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Clare is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 502 in 1880, 3,254 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clare, 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 Clare.
Clare draws workers from Grant Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Michigan norm.
1,931 jobs are based in Clare, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 2,815 in 2011 to 1,931.
At $41,000, Clare’s median household income is below both the Michigan town median ($77,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 17% of Clare working residents work locally. Since 2011, Clare has lost 884 jobs, to 1,931 in 2021.
| Clare | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Clare Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Clare High School, with 478 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 557 | C− |
| Clare High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 478 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,747 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clare’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
30% of Clare adults have been diagnosed with depression, against 27% in Michigan’s towns and 23% across U.S. towns. 41% of adults have high blood pressure in Clare. Clare beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Clare | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Clare | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 19.2% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.2 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Brookwood Park, at 33 acres.
| Clare | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Emerald Isle Recreation Complex | 0.6 mi | 24 |
| 2. Stamina Stadium Park | 0.3 mi | 16 |
| 3. Brookwood Park | — | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Clare has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 14° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Clare home is worth about $224,000, up 10.4% in a year, 15% below the Michigan typical home. Clare’s median rent is $822 a month.
| Clare | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $822 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 1.5 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Clare
About 8 of every 100 Clare residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Clare on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Clare.
City in Michigan, United States
Clare is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located near the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the city is located mostly in Clare County, while a small portion extends south into Isabella County. The city had a population of 3,254 at the 2020 census. Clare was settled as early as 1870 and contains two listings on the National Register of Historic Places: the Clare Downtown Historic District and the Clare Congregational Church. The city is located along the junction of U.S. Route 10 and U.S. Route 127, and each highway has a business route (Bus. 10 and Bus. US 127) through the downtown area. M-115 also runs through the city. The convergence of these highways as well as the historic j…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Clare.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | #569 | C− | C | B | B | D |
| Grant Township | #658 | D | C+ | — | B− | D |
| Vernon Township | — | — | B− | — | B | D |
Vernon Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Grant Township and Vernon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Clare with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clare grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #569 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health, B for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($49,384 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
5 notable people were born here, including Wayne Terwilliger and Glenn Douglas Packard.
