Main St., looking West, 1860
Ionia Township’s story
Ionia Township in pictures
Census counts: 774 in 1850, 13,378 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and a map from 1978 on.
Explore the history →Ionia TownshipMI
A town of 4,125.
Population
4,125
2025 Census estimate · +3.4% since 2020
Median home value
$159K
Census ACS
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
48.3
years
Jobs based here
813
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#544 of 697 in MI
Is Ionia Township a good place to live?
Ionia Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $159K, 1.9 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 544th of 697 in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $60K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Ionia Township, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The biggest place to walk is Grand River State Game Area, 914 acres with 2.2 miles of trail. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 78% of U.S. towns.
What makes Ionia Township stand out
Where Ionia Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Ionia Township for work
Where Ionia Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
813jobs based in Ionia Township
5%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Ionia Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Ionia Township is from typical.
Jobs & incomeC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 5.9% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthLess healthy than 69% of U.S. towns; Sparrow Ionia Hospital 5.2 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trails; 5% conserved landB−Open →HistoryB−Open →Civic life0.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
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 Ionia Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ionia Township, and how to reach them.
PowerConsumers Energy20.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIonia water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ionia Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereIonia Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48846, 4885148846 93% · 48851 7%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 Ionia Township.
Ionia Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Michigan rate.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With only 0.5 jobs per working resident, most people in Ionia Township work out of town
Just 5% of Ionia Township’s working residents have a job in town. Its typical journey to work stands at 27 minutes. Since 2011, Ionia Township has added 103 jobs, to 813 in 2021. The top destinations are Ionia (17%), Grand Rapids (9%) and Cascade Township (4%).
5%work in town
| Ionia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ionia Township5%
Ionia17%
Grand Rapids9%
Cascade Township4%
Lansing4%
25 mi
median commute distance
813
jobs based in Ionia Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Ionia Township fall behind 53% of Michigan districts
The Ionia Township S/D #2 school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below.
47%of MI districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North LeValley Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 10 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
HealthC
Fewer of Ionia Township’s adults had a checkup this year than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
Against the 8,966 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ionia Township’s, it is less healthy than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Ionia Township, 38% sleep under 7 hours. CDC measures, 32 in all: Ionia Township beats Michigan on 2 and trails on 9. Two figures for adults in the town: 19% smoke cigarettes, 19% binge drink.
31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Ionia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
2 better21 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Ionia Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.4% | 6.9% |
Sparrow Ionia Hospital
5.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
29th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Ionia Township
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 16°, with about 54 inches of snow a winter.
54″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–33°
Spring35–57°
Summer58–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 12
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB−
Conservation land takes up 4.8% of Ionia Township
Walkers can cover 4.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Ionia Township’s density of trails comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile.
#454for trails in MI
| Ionia Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
4.8%
conserved · 1,034 of 21,570 acres
4.6 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grand River State Game Area | 2.2 mi | 914 |
| 2. Ionia Natural Area | — | 6 |
| 3. Fred W. Green Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Ionia Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
In Ionia Township, the risk rating from FEMA is 44 of 100. FEMA puts 53% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to tornadoes. The national flood insurance program has paid one claim in the town since 2018.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
1
paid flood claims since 2018
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ionia Township
18pages on Ionia Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ionia Township; the nearest are
Montcalm Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sidney18.4 mi$4,662 in-state tuitionMichigan State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · East Lansing32.6 mi$16,458 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Ionia Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Ionia Township
Largest city and the county seat of Ionia County, Michigan, United States
Ionia ( eye-OH-nyə) is the largest city in and the county seat of Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 12,265 in 2024. Every July it hosts what is said to be the world's largest free-admission fair, the Ionia Free Fair. The city is mostly within Ionia Township, with small portion extending into Easton Township and Berlin Township, but is politically autonomous of the townships. The city is named after Ionia, a historic region in Greece.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 715 ft
- ZIP code
- 48846
- Area code
- 616
Ionia Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Ionia Township.
IoniaLyons TownshipRonald TownshipOrange TownshipBerlin TownshipIonia Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionia Township | #544 | C | A− | — | B− | C |
| Ionia | #276 | B | A | B | B− | C |
| Lyons Township | #327 | B | A | — | B | B− |
| Ronald Township | — | — | A+ | — | B− | C− |
| Orange Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B− |
| Berlin Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C+ |
Ronald Township, Orange Township and Berlin Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ionia Township, Lyons Township, Ronald Township, Orange Township and Berlin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ionia Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Ionia Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ionia Township, MI a good place to live?
Ionia Township grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #544 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Ionia Township, MI expensive?
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 A−.