Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Columbia Township grades C+ overall, ranked 462nd of 697 in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $277K, 4.2 years of the Jackson metro’s $66K median household income. Columbia Township’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Its National Register listings include Gordon Hitt Farmstead and Mill Street-South Branch Raisin River Bridge. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Columbia Township beats most towns.
Where Columbia Township’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 Columbia Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 2 maps from 1935 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbia 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Columbia Township.
Columbia Township is a second-home town, but it has commutes longer than most of Michigan.
The average commute for its 2,743 working residents takes 37.7 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Columbia Township for work: only 10% work in town. The top destinations are Jackson (18%), Blackman Township (8%) and Summit Township (6%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Columbia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 14% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Columbia School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Columbia Central High School, with 637 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Upper Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 406 | B |
| Columbia Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 637 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Columbia Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
18.3% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.5% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Columbia Township is 51.9 years. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Columbia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 26% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
About 113 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.1 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Columbia Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.9% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
2.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Columbia Nature Sanctuary, at 37 acres. Columbia Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Columbia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Columbia Nature Sanctuary | — | 37 |
| 2. Swain Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Vineyard Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Columbia Township beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 41% of Columbia Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Columbia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Columbia Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Columbia Township
About 3 of every 100 Columbia Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
4 places in Columbia Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Columbia Township is a civil township of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,392.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Columbia Township.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Napoleon Township (B−) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Township | #462 | C+ | C− | — | B+ | B− |
| Norvell Township | #360 | B− | B− | — | B | B− |
| Napoleon Township | #403 | B− | B | — | B | C |
| Liberty Township | #304 | B | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
Columbia Township, Norvell Township, Napoleon Township and Liberty Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Columbia Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Columbia Township grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #462 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
