Genesee Avenue–Walker Street Historic District
Gaines’s story
174 years in pictures
Census counts: 344 in 1880, 377 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1922 on.
- 1852Gaines is settled
GainesMI
Settled in 1852, this town now has 369 residents.
Population
369
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Median home value
$135K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
42.9
years
Jobs based here
25
A commuter town
Is Gaines a good place to live?
Gaines’ typical journey to work is 32 minutes, above both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 2 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Gaines. Gaines has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
369 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Gaines TownshipArgentine TownshipGaines
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Gaines: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gaines, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVillage of Byron water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gaines’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereGaines Township ClerkGaines Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4843648436 100%Census 2020
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 Gaines.
Work & commute
Gaines has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half commute less than 20 miles. The typical household income in Gaines is $62,000. The top destinations are Flint (8%), Flint Township (6%) and Warren (4%). For workers locally, the share who work remotely from home is 6.9%.
1%work in town
| Gaines | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.9% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Gaines1%
Flint8%
Flint Township6%
Warren4%
Swartz Creek4%
20 mi
median commute distance
25
jobs based in Gaines
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Gaines is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Households in Gaines have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2004. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in three quarters of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 42% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to tornadoes.
25risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Gaines’ year
In July, afternoons reach 82°; in January, nights fall to 16°, and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
52″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–33°
Spring36–57°
Summer58–80°
Fall41–60°
Oct 11
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Gaines is
In Gaines, 17% of adults binge drink. Among adults locally, 10% have diabetes and 27% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Gaines | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
7 better25 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Gaines | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.4% | 8.7% |
Mclaren Flint
13.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Gaines sell for about $211K
The rent at the middle of the market for Gaines comes to $850 a month. Among households locally, 89% own their home.
$211Kmedian sale price
| Gaines | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $850 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 76 attractions →Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gaines. Close and well known come first.
37 mi MuseumMarvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
30 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumSloan Museum
33 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
16 mi MuseumFlint Institute of Arts
34 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum
30 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year16 mi MuseumSloan Museum33 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo16 mi MuseumFlint Institute of Arts34 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gaines
16pages on Gaines
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Gaines
Kettering UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Flint13.9 mi$48,470 tuitionUniversity of Michigan-FlintUniversity or college · Public · Flint15 mi$14,704 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Gaines residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Gaines for work
Where Gaines’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
25jobs based in Gaines
1%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Gaines
Village in Michigan, United States
Gaines is a village in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Gaines had a population of 377. The village is within Gaines Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1856
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 856 ft
- ZIP code
- 48436
- Area code
- 989
Questions about Gaines
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gaines, MI a good place to live?
Gaines has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.