DowlingMI
The town was settled in 1880 and has 267 residents today.
Is Dowling a good place to live?
Dowling’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Of the 702 Michigan towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Dowling. Dowling has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
267 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Dowling: who provides what
Dowling is unincorporated, so Barry County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Dowling.
With only 0.3 jobs per working resident, most people in Dowling work out of town
The top destinations are Battle Creek (15%), Hastings (8%) and Kalamazoo (5%). Only 1% of working residents stay in Dowling for work; the rest commute out. Jobs in Dowling grew by 23 from 2011 to 2021, reaching 44. Dowling: 6% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Dowling | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The biggest natural risk in Dowling is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Just over three fifths of Dowling’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 18%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Dowling’s year
About 68 inches of snow fall in a winter here; January nights dip to 16° and July afternoons rise to 83°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Dowling is
The share of adults in Dowling who have high blood pressure is 39%. This Michigan town does better than the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 7.
| Dowling | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dowling | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.3% | 8.7% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 73.5% | 69% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical home in Dowling is valued at about $272K
Values rose 7.6% in the 12 months to September 2026.
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Dowling keeps 0.8% of its land conserved
Walkers in Dowling have 4 acres of parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center | — | 3 |
| 2. Clear Lake Boating Access Site | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and 20 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dowling. Close and well known come first.
38 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
29 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
26 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
36 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
11 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
35 mi Theme parkRamona ParkPhoto credits
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Dowling
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dowling
About 0 of every 100 Dowling residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
99% of working residents leave Dowling for work
Where Dowling’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Questions about Dowling
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dowling, MI a good place to live?
Dowling has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.