Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,565, platted in 1845. Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mendon Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $212K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Sturgis area’s $66K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 503rd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 30% of residents are 65 or older in Mendon Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. On hazard risk, just 120 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Marantette House and Marantette Bridge.
Where Mendon Township beats most towns.
Where Mendon 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 Mendon Township is from typical.
Its best grade is an A for history (#59 of 701 in Michigan; platted 1845; 2 places on the National Register), which describes the town but isn’t part of the overall grade; its C+ comes from the livability subjects above.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 409 in 1860, 881 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1918 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mendon 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 Mendon Township.
Mendon Township has little public open land, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Jobs based here fell from 1,480 in 2011 to 841.
Most working residents leave Mendon Township for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Mendon Township fell to 841 in 2021, 639 fewer than in 2011. 6.4% of Mendon Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Mendon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Mendon Community School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendon Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 210 | C− |
| Mendon MiddleHigh SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 254 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Mendon Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 8.2% in the year to September 2026. 92% of households own their home in Mendon Township.
| Mendon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $978 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mendon Township beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Mendon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Mendon Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.2% | 8.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.2% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2018, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mendon Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 8 of its 23,051 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Mendon Township itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Portage Lake Public Access | — | 6 |
| 2. Reed Riverside Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 3. Saint Joseph River Access | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mendon Township. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
29 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year22 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
31 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic33 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
19 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of ArtsAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mendon Township
About 3 of every 100 Mendon Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Mendon Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Michigan, United States
Mendon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within Mendon Township. As of 2023, the estimated population is 868. The population was 870 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mendon Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendon Township | #503 | C+ | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Park Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | C+ |
| Leonidas Township | — | — | B− | — | D | C+ |
| Nottawa Township | #483 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Brady Township | #127 | A− | B+ | — | A− | B |
| Wakeshma Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
Park Township, Leonidas Township and Wakeshma Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mendon Township, Park Township, Leonidas Township, Nottawa Township, Brady Township and Wakeshma Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mendon Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mendon Township grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #503 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
