Elba TownshipMI
A town of 1,275. 32% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Elba Township a good place to live?
Elba Township’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for history and civic life; its weakest is a D for incomes. Only 64 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Only 65 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on incomes. 17% of the land in Elba Township is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Gratiot - Saginaw State Game Area, at 2,352 acres. On history, just 120 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Elba Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Elba Township stand out
Where Elba Township beats most towns.
1,275 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Elba Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Elba Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Elba Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elba 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 Elba Township.
On CDC estimates, Elba Township is less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns
Elba Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Elba Township, above both the Michigan town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Elba Township.
| Elba Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Elba Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, Elba Township’s schools beat 68% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Ashley Community Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 60 | A− |
| Ashley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 48 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Most of Elba Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Elba Township for work: only 3% work in town. Elba Township’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Elba Township fell to 164 in 2021, 66 fewer than in 2011.
| Elba Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
16.8% of Elba Township is conserved land
2.3 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in Elba Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gratiot - Saginaw State Game Area | 0.9 mi | 2,352 |
| 2. Village Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 3. Maple River / Gratiot-Saginaw Connector State Game Area | — | 308 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Elba Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Elba Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
High risk in Elba Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Elba Township since 2013.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Elba Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Elba Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Elba Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
97% of working residents leave Elba Township for work
Where Elba Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Elba Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Elba Township is a civil township of Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,293 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 656 ft
Questions about Elba Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elba Township, MI a good place to live?
32% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Elba 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−.