Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Durand gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $159K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Owosso area’s $67K median household income. It grades B overall, 283rd of 697 graded towns in Michigan. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. 13% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Durand, below both the Michigan town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Durand has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Grand Trunk Railway Station and Durand High School.
Where Durand beats most towns.
Where Durand’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 Durand is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 210 in 1880, 3,507 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1922 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Durand, 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 Durand.
Durand trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has seen reported crime fall by about half, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Homes are within reach (about $159K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2.4 years of the Owosso area’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $159K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
Durand’s median rent is $851 a month. The typical Durand home is worth about $159,000, down 0.7% in a year, 40% below the Michigan typical home.
| Durand | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $851 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Durand Area Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Durand Area High School, with 385 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Kerr SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 361 | C |
| Durand Area High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 385 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,055 in 2011 to 808.
Most working residents leave Durand for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Durand fell to 808 in 2021, 247 fewer than in 2011. The top destinations are Flint (4%), Owosso (4%) and Flint Township (4%).
| Durand | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Durand has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Durand tracks Michigan closely on all 32 CDC measures. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Durand.
| Durand | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 74 to 36 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Soloc Wildlands Pond, at 193 acres.
| Durand | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 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. Soloc Wildlands Pond | — | 193 |
| 2. Optomist Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Goudy Field | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Durand. Close and well known come first.
28 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
17 mi MuseumSloan Museum
31 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
18 mi MuseumFlint Institute of Arts
31 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum21 mi MuseumCrossroads Village (Michigan)Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sloan Museum: Amancour, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Flint Institute of Arts: Blueskiesfalling at English Wikipedia, Public domain · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Durand
About 5 of every 100 Durand residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
2 places in Durand on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Durand.
City in Michigan, United States
Durand (doo-RAND) is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,507 at the 2020 census. Nicknamed "Railroad City, USA", it is best known for its large train station which was a major hub for the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor railroads during most of the 20th century, and is currently served by Amtrak. Additionally, three freight carriers use a rail yard in the city, which is accessible from all directions.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Durand.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durand | #283 | B | B | B− | B+ | C+ |
| Vernon Township | #269 | B+ | A− | — | B+ | C+ |
Vernon Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Durand with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Durand grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #283 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Patricia Donnelly and Stewart "Dirk" Fischer.
