Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Eaton Rapids gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $252K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 556th of 697 in Michigan. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. Eaton Rapids’ violent crime rate is 6 per 1,000 residents, where Michigan’s towns sit at 1.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. On hazard risk, just 76 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Isaac N. Reynolds House and Island City Historic District.
Where Eaton Rapids beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Eaton Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 581 in 1860, 5,203 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 3 maps from 1965 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Eaton Rapids. Close and well known come first.
18 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
16 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
23 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
40 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum32 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park ZooEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eaton Rapids, 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 Eaton Rapids.
1.6 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Oak Ridge Park, at 24 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Eaton Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oak Ridge Park | 1 mi | 24 |
| 2. Howe Field | 0.1 mi | 24 |
| 3. Island City Dog Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Eaton Rapids Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Eaton Rapids High School, with 637 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Rapids Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 410 | C+ |
| Eaton Rapids High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 637 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Eaton Rapids tracks Michigan closely on all 32 CDC measures. 30% of Eaton Rapids adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Eaton Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Eaton Rapids has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 17° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Eaton Rapids for work: only 12% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Eaton Rapids. Since 2011, Eaton Rapids has lost 144 jobs, to 1,708 in 2021.
| Eaton Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $422 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Eaton Rapids is 59 of 100. Since 1985, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eaton Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Eaton Rapids home is worth about $252,000, up 3.7% in a year, close to the Michigan typical home.
| Eaton Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $972 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Eaton Rapids
About 5 of every 100 Eaton Rapids residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
2 places in Eaton Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Eaton Rapids.
City in Michigan, United States
Eaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,203 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the south of Eaton Rapids Township, on the boundary with Hamlin Township, though it is politically independent of both townships. Its nickname is the Island City, since the downtown is located on an island, with a public park, in the Grand River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Eaton Rapids.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Rapids | #556 | C | B | C | B− | C |
| Hamlin Township | #475 | C+ | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Eaton Rapids Township | #383 | B− | B+ | — | B− | B− |
Hamlin Township and Eaton Rapids Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Eaton Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Eaton Rapids grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #556 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, C 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Martin V. Montgomery and Robert Morris Montgomery.
