Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Coldwater grades C overall, 563rd of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $51K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. 35% of working residents work locally in Coldwater, against 5.9% in Michigan’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Wing House and First Presbyterian Church. Coldwater's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Coldwater beats most towns.
Wing House
Census counts: 4,381 in 1870, 13,822 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and a map from 1953 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Coldwater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Coldwater, 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 Coldwater.
Coldwater draws workers from Coldwater Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
8,948 jobs are based in Coldwater, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.3 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
About one in 3 of Coldwater’s working residents works in town. Coldwater’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Jobs based in Coldwater grew to 8,948 in 2021, 488 more than in 2011.
| Coldwater | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Coldwater Community Schools. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Coldwater High School, with 981 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legg Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 616 | C+ |
| Coldwater High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 981 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,059 U.S. towns with household incomes like Coldwater’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Coldwater beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 20% of Coldwater adults smoke cigarettes.
| Coldwater | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Coldwater | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.1% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 10% | 6.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.5% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.7 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Heritage Park, at 91 acres with 2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Coldwater | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heritage Park | 2 mi | 91 |
| 2. Waterworks Park | — | 36 |
| 3. Rotary Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Coldwater.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The violent crime rate in Coldwater is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Coldwater | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Coldwater has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Coldwater home is worth about $218,000, up 5.6% in a year, 17% below the Michigan typical home. 64% of households own their home in Coldwater.
| Coldwater | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $943 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 Coldwater. Close and well known come first.
35 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
23 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic19 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo22 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
38 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of Arts
29 mi MuseumKingman MuseumAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kingman Museum: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Coldwater; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Coldwater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
10,945 counted in 2010 and 13,822 in 2020; an estimated 14,216 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.9% since 2020, after 26.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
14 places in Coldwater on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Coldwater.
City in Michigan, United States
Coldwater is a city in and the county seat of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 13,822 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Coldwater Township, but the two are administered autonomously.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Coldwater.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldwater | #563 | C | B | C | B | D |
| Coldwater Township | #518 | C | B+ | — | B | C− |
| Girard Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | C |
Girard Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Coldwater Township and Girard Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Coldwater with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Coldwater grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #563 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health, C for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($63,724 across the Coldwater, MI 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.
18 notable people were born here, including Jad Fair and Dan Severn.
