Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,189, settled in 1859. 86% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Gladstone gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $215K, 3.7 years of the Escanaba area’s $58K median household income. It grades A− overall, 164th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. On walkability, just 116 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Gladstone's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 6 have a lower July high than Gladstone.
Where Gladstone beats most towns.
Where Gladstone’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 Gladstone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,337 in 1890, 5,257 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gladstone, 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 Gladstone.
Gladstone pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Michigan norm, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
At 2.9 per 1,000 residents, Gladstone’s property crime rate is against 8 in Michigan’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
| Gladstone | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Gladstone Area Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gladstone Area High School, with 472 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| James T Jones Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 355 | B− |
| Gladstone Area High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 472 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gladstone.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,883 working residents takes 17.6 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Gladstone for work: only 16% work in town. At 18 minutes, Gladstone’s average trip to work is below both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Gladstone fell to 1,282 in 2021, 73 fewer than in 2011.
| Gladstone | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
2.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is John & Melissa Besse Sports Park, at 171 acres.
| Gladstone | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van Cleve Park | 0.4 mi | 46 |
| 2. John & Melissa Besse Sports Park | — | 171 |
| 3. Escanaba River State Forest - Escanaba Unit | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Escanaba weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 76.1°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 11.4°.
Gladstone has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Gladstone is 11°F. About 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Gladstone grades A− overall with a typical home of about $215K, below the Michigan typical value; only 13 of the 103 Michigan towns graded A− or better can say that. Home values rose 44% in five years, to about $215K, against 24% across Michigan.
Typical home values rose 8.3% in the year to September 2026. Gladstone’s median rent is $910 a month.
| Gladstone | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $910 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,405 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gladstone’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Gladstone beats the Michigan average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Gladstone.
| Gladstone | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gladstone | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.6% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gladstone
About 4 of every 100 Gladstone residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Minnewasca. The population was 5,257 according to the 2020 census, The U.S. Highways 2 and 41 run concurrently through the city, connecting it to various other communities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The city of Escanaba lies roughly 14 km (9 mi) to the south.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Gladstone.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladstone | #164 | A− | B | A | B+ | C+ |
| Escanaba Township | #220 | B+ | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Brampton Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Ensign Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Brampton Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Escanaba Township and Brampton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Ensign Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gladstone with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Gladstone grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #164 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health, A for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including Robert John Cornell and Frank Smith.