Garfield Township (Clare), MI location, 2019
Garfield Township’s story
Garfield Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
Explore the history →Garfield TownshipMI
A town of 1,860.
Population
1,860
2025 Census estimate · +2.7% since 2020
Median home value
$172K
Census ACS
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
47.5
years
Jobs based here
66
A commuter town
Is Garfield Township a good place to live?
The best of Garfield Township’s subject grades is a B+ for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for incomes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Garfield Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 108 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on history. Garfield Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Garfield Township stand out
Where Garfield Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Garfield Township for work
Where Garfield Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
66jobs based in Garfield Township
3%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Garfield Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Garfield Township is from typical.
Jobs & income$69K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 15% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 4.1% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthMclaren Central Michigan 23.3 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsBehind 64% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $172K, 3.5 years of the county’s $49K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9% conserved landB+Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life1.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Garfield Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Garfield Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers82% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpGarfield Township Transfer StationIn townOpenStreetMap
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 hereGarfield Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48632, 4862248632 99% · 48622 1%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 Garfield Township.
HealthC−
Health in Garfield Township trails 84% of U.S. towns
Garfield Township beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 45% of Garfield Township adults have high blood pressure, above both Michigan’s towns (36%) and U.S. towns (35%). 15% of adults have diabetes in Garfield Township.
16%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Garfield Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better17 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Garfield Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.3% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 10.2% |
Mclaren Central Michigan
23.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Garfield Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Garfield Township.
15risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windCold waves
32
paid flood claims since 1986
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Garfield Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Garfield Township for work: only 3% work in town. 17% of Garfield Township residents live below the poverty line. Since 2011, Garfield Township has added 26 jobs, to 66 in 2021.
3%work in town
| Garfield Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Garfield Township3%
Evart8%
Surrey Township7%
Mount Pleasant7%
Clare6%
25 mi
median commute distance
66
jobs based in Garfield Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Garfield Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Garfield Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Garfield Township is 82°F.
61″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring32–55°
Summer54–80°
Fall38–58°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
8.8%conserved
8.8%
conserved · 1,996 of 22,760 acres
14 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit | 2.8 mi | 1,533 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Garfield Township
18pages on Garfield Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Garfield Township; the nearest are
Mid Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrison16.1 mi$6,132 in-state tuitionCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Mount Pleasant23.3 mi$14,760 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Garfield Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Garfield Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Garfield Township is a civil township of Clare County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,807 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,063 ft
Garfield Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Garfield Township.
Freeman TownshipSurrey TownshipOrient TownshipColdwater TownshipGarfield Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield Township | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Freeman Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C− |
| Surrey Township | #616 | C− | B+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Orient Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coldwater Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Garfield Township and Freeman Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Garfield Township, Freeman Township and Surrey Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Orient Township and Coldwater Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Garfield Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Garfield Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Garfield Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.