Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cooper Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 400th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $83K. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 63% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $276K, 3.8 years of the Kalamazoo metro’s $73K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Only 97 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score lower on civic life. The biggest place to walk is Kalamazoo Nature Center, 1,004 acres with 12.5 miles of trail.
Where Cooper Township beats most towns.
Where Cooper 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 Cooper Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1928 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cooper 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 Cooper Township.
22 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. At 0.6 miles per square mile, Cooper Township’s trail density is above Michigan’s towns (0.3) and close to U.S. towns (0.4).
| Cooper Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kalamazoo Nature Center | 12.5 mi | 1,004 |
| 2. Markin Glen County Park | 0.6 mi | 159 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Plainwell Community Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 288 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Cooper Township has 1,088 jobs for its 4,535 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 1,503 in 2011 to 1,088.
Most working residents leave Cooper Township for work: only 3% work in town. 2.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Cooper Township, below both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Since 2011, Cooper Township has lost 415 jobs, to 1,088 in 2021.
| Cooper Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Cooper Township since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cooper Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Cooper Township. Cooper Township beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cooper Township.
| Cooper Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cooper Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 28.8% | 34.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Michigan average. 38% of Cooper Township adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Cooper Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Cooper Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.6% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.6% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Cooper Township is $1,281 a month.
| Cooper Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,281 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cooper Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
40 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
10 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year40 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
39 mi Theme parkRamona Park
7 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of ArtsAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Cooper Township
About 4 of every 100 Cooper Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Charter township in Michigan, United States
Cooper Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,418 at the 2020 census, up from 10,111 at the 2010 census. The township was organized in 1837.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Cooper Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Township | #400 | B− | C+ | — | B | B |
| Richland Township | #77 | A | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Gun Plain Township | #178 | A− | A− | — | B | B |
| Alamo Township | #169 | A− | C+ | — | A | B+ |
| Kalamazoo Township | #667 | D | C+ | D | C | C+ |
Cooper Township, Richland Township, Gun Plain Township and Alamo Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cooper Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cooper Township grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #400 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
