Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lawrence Township grades D overall, ranked 635th of 697 in Michigan, mostly because of health. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. It also has a long history, with 1 places on the National Register. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Marshall's Store is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 8 of the 666 Michigan towns we compare have a lower median rent than Lawrence Township.
Where Lawrence Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Lawrence Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 339 in 1860, 964 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lawrence 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 Lawrence Township.
Lawrence Township trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Paw Paw Township and other neighbors.
18% of Lawrence Township adults report frequent physical distress, where Michigan’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 15% of Lawrence Township adults have diabetes. Lawrence Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| Lawrence Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lawrence Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.3% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.8% | 6.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lawrence Public Schools. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 214 | B− |
| Lawrence JrSr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 179 | C− |
| Bert Goens Learning CenterTop results in townGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 70 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The Bloomingdale weather station, 13 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Lawrence Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lawrence Township since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lawrence Township has about as many jobs (1,118) as working residents, but only 132 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 33.3 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Lawrence Township for work: only 11% work in town. Lawrence Township’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Lawrence Township.
| Lawrence Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $245K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
The typical Lawrence Township home is worth about $245,000, up 3.3% in a year, 7% below the Michigan typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.8 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robert Brausch, Jr. Park | — | 16 |
| 2. Tiger Den Sports Complex | — | 14 |
| 3. North River Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Lawrence Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Lawrence Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Village in Van Buren County, Michigan, USA
The Village of Lawrence is a 2-square-mile village within Lawrence Township, in the center of Van Buren County, Michigan. The population was 964 at the 2020 census. It hosts a Labor Day weekend "Ox Roast & Homecoming Festival" and a Farmers' Market every Saturday during the summer. Lawrence is also the hub for the Van Buren County Intermediate School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lawrence Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Township | #635 | D | B | — | C+ | D |
| Arlington Township | — | — | C+ | — | C− | D |
| Paw Paw Township | #395 | B− | B | — | B | C+ |
| Hamilton Township | — | — | B− | — | B− | C− |
| Hartford Township | #672 | D | B+ | — | C | D− |
Arlington Township and Hamilton Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lawrence Township, Arlington Township, Paw Paw Township, Hamilton Township and Hartford Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lawrence Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lawrence Township grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #635 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($68,114 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
