Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Imlay City gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $283K, 3.7 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 498th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Imlay City, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Imlay City has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Charles Palmer House.
Where Imlay City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Imlay City’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 Imlay City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 971 in 1880, 3,703 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Imlay City, 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 Imlay City.
Imlay City trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Imlay Township and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
2,575 jobs are based in Imlay City, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 31.3 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
About one in 5 of Imlay City’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Imlay City is 31 minutes. The top destinations are Lapeer (5%), Bruce Township (4%) and Troy (3%).
| Imlay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Imlay City Community Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Imlay City High School, with 554 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 396 | B− |
| Imlay City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 554 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Imlay City. Imlay City beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Imlay City.
| Imlay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Imlay City | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.9% | 8.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.3% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Imlay City’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Imlay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veteran's Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 2. Lion's Park | 0.2 mi | 9 |
| 3. Polly Ann Trail Head Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Imlay City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Imlay City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 80 to 40 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $283K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles.
55% of Imlay City households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Imlay City | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $895 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Imlay City; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Imlay City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Imlay City on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Imlay City.
City in Michigan, United States
Imlay City is a city in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,707 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Imlay City grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #498 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the 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+.
5 notable people were born here, including Bob Burman and Carl Pursell.
