GLsunset, 2019
Lawton’s story
175 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1851Lawton is settled
LawtonMI
Population
1,861
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$283K
+3.9% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
39.3
years
Jobs based here
658
Balanced
Is Lawton a good place to live?
Lawton’s best subject grade is an A− for history; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Lawton, above both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Lawton is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Lawton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lawton stand out
Where Lawton beats most towns.
How Lawton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Lawton is from typical.
Jobs & incomeC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 10.7% of households have no car; 4.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthBronson Lakeview Hospital 4.5 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingB−Open →SchoolsBehind 52% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4% conserved landB−Open →History2 notable people born hereA−Open →Civic life2.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.3; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lawton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lawton, and how to reach them.
PowerVillage of Paw PawEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterLawton water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lawton’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 hereAntwerp Township ClerkAntwerp Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4906549065 100%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 Lawton.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Lawton
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC
Lawton is less healthy than 69% of U.S. towns
Lawton beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lawton, where Michigan’s towns sit at 27% and U.S. towns at 23%. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Lawton.
31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Lawton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better30 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Lawton | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.9% |
| More adults with arthritis | 32.5% | 29.1% |
Bronson Lakeview Hospital
4.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Lawton, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Lawton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 109 inches of snow falls in a winter.
109″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring37–59°
Summer59–81°
Fall42–61°
Oct 11
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Most of Lawton’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Lawton for work: only 10% work in town. Lawton’s median household income is $53,000. Since 2011, Lawton has lost 41 jobs, to 658 in 2021.
10%work in town
| Lawton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lawton10%
Antwerp Township20%
Kalamazoo11%
Portage8%
Paw Paw Township7%
16 mi
median commute distance
658
jobs based in Lawton
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Safety
Crime reported in Lawton
Lawton's reported crime rate is below Michigan's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025.
| Lawton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lawton1.6
Michigan4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lawton8.5
Michigan13
U.S.15.5
3
violent crimes reported in 2025
16
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade B−
Lawton’s typical home value is about $283K
The typical Lawton home is worth about $283,000, up 3.9% in a year, 7% above the Michigan typical home. 65% of Lawton households own their home.
$283KZillow home value
| Lawton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $812 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Lawton$283K
Michigan$264K
+3.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsB−
Conserved land covers 4.5% of Lawton
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Lawton is 0.1 miles per square mile.
4.5%conserved
| Lawton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
4.5%
conserved · 67 of 1,483 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lewis Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 34 attractions →Notre Dame Stadium and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lawton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
15 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
38 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
33 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
29 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year39 mi Zoo & aquariumPotawatomi ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Notre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lawton
20pages on Lawton
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 52% of MI districtsSafety1.6 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB−$283K typical home · up 3.9% in a yearWork & commuteC−$53K median household income · 658 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lawton
Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kalamazoo9.3 mi$4,144 in-state tuitionWestern Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Kalamazoo14.3 mi$15,252 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Lawton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Lawton
Village in Michigan, United States
Lawton is a village in southeastern Van Buren County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lawton had a population of 1,850.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 791 ft
- ZIP code
- 49065
Questions about Lawton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lawton, MI expensive?
That is 4.2 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−.
What is Lawton, MI known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Herbert John Webber and Charlie Maxwell.