Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,704. 2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Trash & recyclingThe best of Golden Township’s subject grades are an A+ for civic life and an A for the outdoors. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Golden Township, above both Michigan’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 2 of the 702 Michigan towns we compare have a higher median age than Golden Township. 20% of the land in Golden Township is conserved, above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 51 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest place to walk is Silver Lake State Park, 2,599 acres with 2.2 miles of trail. Golden Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Golden Township beats most towns.
Where Golden Township’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 Golden Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 maps from 1931 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Golden 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 Golden Township.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Golden Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
13% of Golden Township residents are under 18. Golden Township has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 1,704 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Golden Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 26% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Golden Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 2.5% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.3% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Golden Township for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2011, Golden Township has added 80 jobs, to 245 in 2021. The top destinations are Hart (13%), Hart Township (9%) and Grand Rapids (6%).
| Golden Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.7% | 10% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Silver Lake State Park | 2.2 mi | 2,599 |
| 2. Pentwater State Game Area | 1.3 mi | 707 |
| 3. West Michigan Underwater Preserve | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Golden Township beats the Michigan average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Golden Township.
| Golden Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Golden Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.9% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Golden Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Golden Township’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Golden Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Golden Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Golden Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Michigan, United States
Golden Township is a civil township of Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,660 at the 2020 census. The township is home to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, and is located along the shore of Lake Michigan. Golden Township was established in 1864.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Golden Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C |
| Hart Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Benona Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C− |
| Pentwater Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | B |
| Shelby Township | #480 | C+ | A− | — | B− | C− |
Golden Township, Benona Township and Pentwater Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Golden Township, Benona Township, Pentwater Township and Shelby Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hart Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Golden Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
