Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,500, settled in 1831. 23% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Lowell Township's standout: the median household earns $105K. Overall it grades A, 63rd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. Its schools outperform 94% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country. Lowell Township’s median rent is $1,688 a month, where Michigan’s towns sit at $1,045 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. The biggest park or preserve is Grand River Riverfront Park, at 75 acres. Lowell Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Lowell Township beats most towns.
Where Lowell Township’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 Lowell Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 547 in 1860, 4,142 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lowell 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 Lowell Township.
28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lowell Township. Lowell Township beats the Michigan average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 19% of adults get no exercise outside work in Lowell Township.
| Lowell Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lowell Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 2,407 in 2011 to 1,844. 25.5% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Lowell Township for work: only 3% work in town. 3.3% of Lowell Township residents live below the poverty line. Since 2011, Lowell Township has lost 563 jobs, to 1,844 in 2021.
| Lowell Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lowell Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 66 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.9 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Lowell Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Lowell Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bradford Dickinson White Nature Preserve | 0.7 mi | 46 |
| 2. Grand River Riverfront Park | 0.2 mi | 75 |
| 3. Pratt Lake Boat Access Site | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Lowell Township’s median age is 37.5 years. Lowell Township has grown 3.5% since 2020, to 6,500 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Lowell Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.5 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Lowell Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lowell Township. Close and well known come first.
3 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
16 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
12 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park16 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
13 mi Theme parkRamona Park
17 mi Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball ZooNorth Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Lowell Township
About 3 of every 100 Lowell Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,142 at the 2020 census. Lowell is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about 15 miles (24.1 km) east of the city of Grand Rapids. The city is mostly surrounded by Lowell Township to the south, but the two are administered autonomously. Lowell is situated just north of where the Flat River meets the Grand River. The city's downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Downtown Lowell Historic District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Lowell Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Township | #63 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Lowell | #47 | A | B− | B | A | B− |
| Boston Township | #96 | A | A− | — | A | B |
| Vergennes Township | #163 | A− | C− | — | A | A− |
| Forest Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cascade Township | #61 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Bowne Township | #153 | A− | C | — | A | A |
| Ada Township | #34 | A | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
Lowell Township, Boston Township, Vergennes Township, Cascade Township, Bowne Township and Ada Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Forest Hills isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lowell Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lowell Township grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #63 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
