Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Emmett Township grades D overall, 648th of 697 graded towns in Michigan, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 41 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 1 places on the National Register. Emmett Township’s property crime rate is 39.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the Michigan town median (7.8) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). 12 Mile road-Kalamazoo River Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Emmett Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Emmett Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 265 in 1900, 258 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Emmett 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Emmett Township.
Emmett Township trades workers with Battle Creek and other neighbors, but it reports property crime at 3 times the Michigan rate.
Property crime runs at 39.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Michigan rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 683 to 510 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Emmett Township is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Emmett Township reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Harper Creek Community Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Harper Creek High School, with 823 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Creek Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 896 | C |
| Harper Creek High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 823 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
13 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Ott Biological Preserve, 290 acres with 5.1 miles of trail.
| Emmett Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 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. Ott Biological Preserve | 5.1 mi | 290 |
| 2. Kimball Pines Park | 1.3 mi | 104 |
| 3. Historic Bridge Park | 0.8 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Emmett Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 42% of adults have obesity in Emmett Township.
| Emmett Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Emmett Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.5% | 14.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.1% | 8.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Emmett Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Emmett Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Emmett Township has about as many jobs (4,894) as working residents, but only 499 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Emmett Township for work: only 10% work in town. Emmett Township’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2011, Emmett Township has added 280 jobs, to 4,894 in 2021.
| Emmett Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 21% of Emmett Township residents are 65 or older. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Emmett Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.5 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 26% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.6 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Emmett Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.5% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Emmett Township. Close and well known come first.
23 mi Theme parkAir Zoo3 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
8 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
19 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
24 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of Arts
7 mi MuseumKingman MuseumAir Zoo: User:my name, 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 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kingman Museum: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Emmett Township
About 4 of every 100 Emmett Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
5 towns share a border with Emmett Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmett Township | #648 | D | C+ | D | B | C |
| Battle Creek | #684 | D− | B− | D− | C | D |
| Brownlee Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newton Township | #572 | C− | C− | — | B | B− |
| Pennfield Township | #600 | C− | B− | — | B− | C− |
| Marshall Township | #432 | B− | C | — | B | B− |
Newton Township, Pennfield Township and Marshall Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Brownlee Park isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Emmett Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Emmett Township grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #648 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
