Danby TownshipMI
A town of 2,997, settled in 1850. 24% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Danby Township a good place to live?
Danby Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $289K, 3.5 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 216th of 697 in Michigan. On the plus side, the median household earns $93K. Only 78 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Portland State Game Area, 2,164 acres with 9.2 miles of trail.
What makes Danby Township stand out
Where Danby Township beats most towns.
99% of working residents leave Danby Township for work
Where Danby Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Danby Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Danby Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Danby Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Danby 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Danby Township.
Danby Township sends most of its workers to Portland and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Michigan (mostly inland flooding).
9.4% of Danby Township is conserved land
For Danby Township, that is above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 17 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Danby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Portland State Game Area | 9.2 mi | 2,164 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents commute out of Danby Township
Danby Township has 262 jobs for its 955 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Danby Township for work: only 1% work in town. 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Danby Township, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Danby Township grew to 262 in 2021, 193 more than in 2011.
| Danby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Danby Township
Danby Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Danby Township is healthier than 63% of U.S. towns
Danby Township beats the Michigan average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Danby Township.
| Danby Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Danby Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.5% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Moderate risk in Danby Township, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $692 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Danby Township is 59 of 100. Since 2004, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Danby Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Country Trail and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Danby Township. Close and well known come first.
24 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
22 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
37 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
38 mi Theme parkRamona Park
20 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
37 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a yearPhoto credits
North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Danby Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Danby Township
About 3 of every 100 Danby Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Danby Township
Township in Michigan, United States
Danby Township is a civil township of Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,953 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 748 ft
Danby Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Danby Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danby Township | #216 | B+ | A− | — | B | B |
| Portland · Portland Township | #141 | A− | A− | B | B | B+ |
| Eagle Township | #83 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Sebewa Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B |
| Roxand Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | B− |
Sebewa Township and Roxand Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Danby Township, Eagle Township, Sebewa Township and Roxand Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Portland Township and Portland are one community, graded once. Compare Danby Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Danby Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Danby Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Danby Township grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #216 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Danby Township, MI expensive?
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 A−.