Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Mostly strong, with a single weak spot. Overall, Manchester Township earns an A−: better than 85% of U.S. towns, and 121st of 697 in Michigan. Its strongest subject is health: it is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. Schools are another plus (A−): its public schools beat 78% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Homes run about $274K for a typical one, 3.1 times the Ann Arbor metro’s $89K median household income. The trade-off is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Manchester Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where Manchester Township beats most towns.
Fountain-Bessac HouseWhere Manchester 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 Manchester Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,156 in 1880, 2,037 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 2 maps from 1948 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manchester 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 Manchester Township.
Manchester Township has less food insecurity than most of Michigan, but it has commutes longer than most of Michigan.
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 9.2% of its 5,803 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
15% of Manchester Township adults say their health is fair or poor. In Manchester Township, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25% and U.S. towns at 25%. The town does better than the Michigan average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1.
| Manchester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 25% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Manchester Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. Public schools: the Manchester Community Schools. Also worth knowing: the 3 public schools in Manchester Township teach 638 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Intermediate SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 188 | B− |
| Manchester JuniorSenior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 287 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 2,063 working residents takes 32.4 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
The median commute is under 20 miles. In Manchester Township, the typical journey to work is 32 minutes. Just 8% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Ann Arbor (19%), Scio Township (5%) and Pittsfield Township (5%).
| Manchester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 20% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
In Manchester Township, the FEMA risk score is 22 of 100, below both Michigan’s towns (25 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Of the losses FEMA expects here, 53% come from inland flooding and 22% from tornadoes. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Walkers can cover 10 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Watkins Lake County Preserve, 401 acres with 3.2 miles of trail. The density of trails in Manchester Township is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Manchester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leonard Preserve | 4.4 mi | 253 |
| 2. Watkins Lake County Preserve | 3.2 mi | 401 |
| 3. Chi-Bro Park | 0.6 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The range runs from 16° on a January night to 83° on a July afternoon, with about 33 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
College graduates make up 37% of adults 25 and older, against 32% across Michigan. Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). For Manchester Township, the midpoint age is 45.9 years.
| Manchester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Manchester Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.4% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manchester Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
24 mi Park & preserveDomino's Farms
25 mi LandmarkYpsilanti Water Tower
20 mi TheatreMichigan Theater
20 mi MuseumUniversity of Michigan Museum of Art
38 mi National park siteRiver Raisin National Battlefield Park134K visitors a yearMichigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Domino's Farms: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Ypsilanti Water Tower: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Michigan Theater: mrkumm, CC BY 2.0 · University of Michigan Museum of Art: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · River Raisin National Battlefield Park: Notorious4life (talk), Public domain
None within 15 miles of Manchester Township; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Manchester Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
2 places in Manchester Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Michigan, United States
Manchester is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,037 at the 2020 census. Settled as early as 1833, Manchester incorporated as a village in 1867. On November 7, 2023, 66 percent of village residents voted in favor of incorporating Manchester as an autonomous city. Manchester officially became a city on November 15, 2023 with the mayor and city councilmembers sworn into office on November 20, 2023.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Manchester Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Township | #121 | A− | B | — | A− | A− |
| Franklin Township | #353 | B | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Bridgewater Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Sharon Township | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Norvell Township | #360 | B− | B− | — | B | B− |
Bridgewater Township and Sharon Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Manchester Township, Franklin Township, Bridgewater Township, Sharon Township and Norvell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Manchester Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Manchester Township grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #121 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 B.
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