Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Pleasant grades D overall, ranked 637th of 697 in Michigan, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $45K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. Its crime rate is higher than 76% of U.S. towns, with 88 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Mount Pleasant, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 126 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on cost of living. Mount Pleasant is home to Central Michigan University.
Where Mount Pleasant beats most towns.
26,016 counted in 2010 and 21,688 in 2020; an estimated 20,925 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.6% since 2020, after 16.6% in the decade before.
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 Mount Pleasant is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,115 in 1880, 21,688 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 2 maps from 1916 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Union Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Mt. Pleasant City School District. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt Pleasant Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 666 | B− |
| Mt Pleasant Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,066 | B+ |
| Fancher SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 431 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
13,357 jobs are based in Mount Pleasant, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
32% of working residents work locally in Mount Pleasant. Jobs based in Mount Pleasant fell to 13,357 in 2021, 2,646 fewer than in 2011. Mount Pleasant’s average trip to work is 15 minutes.
| Mount Pleasant | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
5.8 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The trail density in Mount Pleasant is 0.7 miles per square mile. Mill Pond Park, at 95 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Mount Pleasant | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mission Creek Woodland Park | 1.6 mi | 56 |
| 2. Mill Pond Park | 1.2 mi | 95 |
| 3. Veit's Woods CMU Park | 0.9 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 541 to 337 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mount Pleasant reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less.
| Mount Pleasant | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Pleasant.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mount Pleasant has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 3,895 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mount Pleasant’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of Mount Pleasant adults report frequent mental distress. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Mount Pleasant. 22% of Mount Pleasant adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Mount Pleasant | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mount Pleasant | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.9% | 7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 15.8% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Mount Pleasant home is worth about $227,000, up 6.9% in a year, 14% below the Michigan typical home. Only 2 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Mount Pleasant.
| Mount Pleasant | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 36% | 84% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 45% | 48% |
| Median rent | $922 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Pleasant
College town 38 of every 100 Mount Pleasant residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
5 places in Mount Pleasant on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Mount Pleasant.
City in Michigan, United States
Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is the county seat of Isabella County, which is part of Central Michigan. The population of Mount Pleasant was 21,688 as of the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by Union Charter Township, but is politically independent. Part of the city (with a population of 8,741) is located within the Isabella Indian Reservation, the base of the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation. The tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in nearby Chippewa Township is also within the reservation boundaries. Mount Pleasant is home to the main campuses of Central Michigan University, one of the largest universities in the state with 20,000…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mount Pleasant grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #637 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($55,237 across the Mount Pleasant, MI area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
12 notable people were born here, including John Engler and Matt LaFleur.
