Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 44,869, settled in 1836.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Meridian Township grades A− overall, 159th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. It has 51 miles of trail. Its public schools beat 93% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation and the median household earns $87K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $331K for a typical one and 4.6 times the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Meridian Township, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 28 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Meridian Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Meridian Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bennett Woods Elementary School | PK–4 | 476 |
| Hiawatha Elementary School | K–4 | 441 |
| Cornell Elementary School | K–4 | 439 |
39,688 counted in 2010 and 43,916 in 2020; an estimated 44,869 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Meridian Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 13,884 in 1960, 43,916 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Meridian 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 Meridian Township.
Meridian Township is healthier than Williamstown Township and its other neighbors and pairs an A for schools with high home prices, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
The trail density in Meridian Township is 1.6 miles per square mile. Lake Lansing Park North, at 491 acres with 6.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Meridian Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Lansing Park North | 6.7 mi | 491 |
| 2. Legg Park | 4 mi | 115 |
| 3. Central Park | 3.4 mi | 284 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $331K.
Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinawa SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 735 | A |
| Okemos High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,496 | A+ |
| Chippewa Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 726 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its A for health tops all 4 graded neighbors; Williamstown Township (A−) comes closest.
Meridian Township beats the Michigan average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Meridian Township.
| Meridian Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Meridian Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.5% | 8.1% |
| Fewer smokers | 10.1% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.3% | 77.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 15,814 in 2011 to 12,443. 23.3% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Meridian Township for work: only 10% work in town. 23% of Meridian Township workers work from home. Since 2011, Meridian Township has lost 3,371 jobs, to 12,443 in 2021.
| Meridian Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Meridian Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 73 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Meridian Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Meridian Township’s property crime rate is 14 per 1,000 residents.
| Meridian Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meridian Township. Close and well known come first.
3 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
6 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
7 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum
3 mi GardenW. J. Beal Botanical Garden
3 mi GardenMichigan State University Horticulture Gardens
3 mi MuseumMichigan State University MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0 · W. J. Beal Botanical Garden: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens: SweetCanadianMullet, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michigan State University Museum: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Meridian Township
College town 16 of every 100 Meridian Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
8.3% of the town is conserved land, across 53 parks and preserves.
2 places in Meridian Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Charter township in Michigan, United States
Meridian Charter Township is a charter township of Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 43,916. The township is named after the Michigan meridian, which comprises the eastern border of the township. The township contains the unincorporated communities of Haslett and Okemos. Bordering East Lansing to the west, Meridian Charter Township is the third-largest municipality within the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Meridian Township.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Alaiedon Township (B+) comes closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Township | #159 | A− | D | C+ | A | A |
| East Lansing | – | B+ | C− | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Haslett | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okemos | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bath Township | #240 | B+ | C− | B+ | A− | A− |
| Williamstown Township | #237 | B+ | D | — | A | A− |
| Alaiedon Township | #214 | B+ | C | — | A− | A− |
Williamstown Township and Alaiedon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Haslett and Okemos aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Meridian Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Meridian Township grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #159 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
