Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 2,000 residents, it is a town in Michigan.
The best of Hillsdale Township’s subject grades is an A− for incomes; the weakest is a C for health. 2.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Hillsdale Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Hillsdale Township’s density of trails is 0.9 miles per square mile, where Michigan’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Lewis Emery County Park, at 87 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Hillsdale Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Hillsdale Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Hillsdale Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,067 in 1850, 8,036 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 4 maps from 1959 on.
Explore the history →Where Hillsdale Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Ordered by what stands out in Hillsdale Township.
For half of commuters, work is under 15 miles away. Since 2011, Hillsdale Township has lost 1,576 jobs, to 502 in 2021. Only 2% of working residents stay in Hillsdale Township for work; the rest commute out. The average commute in the town is 20 minutes.
| Hillsdale Township | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its one school is below. Hillsdale Township’s only public school teaches 276 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Carleton Charter School AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 276 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The share of adults in Hillsdale Township who have diabetes is 12%. 20% of adults in Hillsdale Township report frequent mental distress; 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Hillsdale Township | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hillsdale Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8.1% |
| More adults with depression | 30.3% | 25.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
52% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 22%. Hillsdale Township’s FEMA risk score is recorded as 28 of 100. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide). In Hillsdale Township, the age of the median resident is 46.2 years. A bachelor’s degree or higher is held by 38% of adults 25 and older, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Hillsdale Township | Typical Michigan town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 46.2 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 21% | 22% |
Somewhere between 39% and 62% women
The Census survey reached too few of Hillsdale Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.6 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Hillsdale Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,000, single groups can be off by several points
Hillsdale Township’s midsummer high is put at 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
There are 12 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. 91 acres of Hillsdale Township lie in its parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lewis Emery County Park | 1.3 mi | 87 |
| 2. Slayton Arboretum | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hillsdale Township. Close and well known come first.
29 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic25 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo34 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
30 mi GardenHidden Lake Gardens
2 mi GardenSlayton Arboretum
5 mi MuseumE.O. Grosvenor HouseAmerican Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hidden Lake Gardens: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Slayton Arboretum: Brother Atticus, CC0 · E.O. Grosvenor House: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hillsdale 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.
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hillsdale Township
About 2 of every 100 Hillsdale Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Hillsdale is the largest city in Hillsdale County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 8,036 at the 2020 census. It is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hillsdale Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C |
| Hillsdale | #420 | B− | B+ | B− | B− | C |
| Cambria Township | #522 | C | B+ | — | B− | C− |
| Fayette Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C− |
| Allen Township | — | — | A− | — | B | D |
| Adams Township | — | — | A | — | C | C |
| Jefferson Township | #593 | C− | B+ | — | C+ | C− |
Hillsdale Township, Fayette Township, Allen Township and Adams Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hillsdale Township, Cambria Township, Fayette Township, Allen Township, Adams Township and Jefferson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hillsdale Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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