Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,071, established in 1835.
The best of Galesburg’s subject grades are a B+ for walkability and history; the weakest is a C− for incomes. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Galesburg, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Galesburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Galesburg beats most towns.
Where Galesburg’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 Galesburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 140 in 1870, 2,049 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1997 and 6 maps from 1918 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Galesburg, 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 Galesburg.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| GalesburgAugusta Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 399 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Galesburg for work: only 2% work in town. At $52,000, Galesburg’s median household income is below both Michigan’s towns ($77,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Jobs based in Galesburg grew to 367 in 2021, 95 more than in 2011.
| Galesburg | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The typical Galesburg home is worth about $202,000, down 2.6% in a year, 23% below the Michigan typical home. 68% of Galesburg households own their home.
| Galesburg | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $903 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Galesburg 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
Galesburg beats the Michigan average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Galesburg.
| Galesburg | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Galesburg | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12% | 15.4% |
| More adults with depression | 29.7% | 25.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Galesburg Community Park | — | 14 |
| 2. Ike Payne Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Galesburg. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
10 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year14 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
24 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
9 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of Arts
9 mi MuseumKalamazoo Valley MuseumAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Valley Museum: Cody Hough, CC BY-SA 3.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Galesburg
About 2 of every 100 Galesburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
3 notable people were born in Galesburg.
2 towns share a border with Galesburg.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galesburg | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B |
| Comstock Township | #493 | C+ | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Charleston Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
Galesburg and Charleston Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Galesburg, Comstock Township and Charleston Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Galesburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($72,532 across the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
Galesburg was established in 1835. 3 notable people were born here, including William Rufus Shafter and Florence Austin.
