Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Muskegon Township earns a D, ranked 638th of 697 in Michigan, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $55K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 18% of the land in Muskegon Township is conserved, against 4.4% in Michigan’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 61 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score lower on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Muskegon State Game Area, at 2,804 acres.
Where Muskegon Township beats most towns.
Where Muskegon 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 Muskegon Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,450 in 1860, 38,318 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 2 maps from 1976 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Muskegon 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 Muskegon Township.
Muskegon Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 7,406 U.S. towns with household incomes like Muskegon Township’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Nearly a fifth of Muskegon Township adults smoke cigarettes, above both the Michigan town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). In Muskegon Township, 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Muskegon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Muskegon Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.5% | 8.7% |
| More smokers | 18.7% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Below: Two of its 9 schools, each with why it was picked. The 6 public schools in Muskegon Township teach 3,056 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timberland AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 613 | D |
| ReethsPuffer High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,107 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
61% of Muskegon Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. Compared with 85% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims locally since 1985.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 6% of Muskegon Township’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2011, Muskegon Township has lost 684 jobs, to 3,956 in 2021. In Muskegon Township, the average commute is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Muskegon (20%), Norton Shores (8%) and Grand Rapids (5%).
| Muskegon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 3.5% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The property offense rate in Muskegon Township is 17.9 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence here is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Muskegon Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. For Muskegon Township, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Muskegon State Game Area | — | 2,804 |
| 2. Boyce Woods Nature Preserve | — | 25 |
| 3. Parslow Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Muskegon Co Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Muskegon Township. Close and well known come first.
33 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
4 mi MuseumUSS LST-3934 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
36 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park33 mi TheatreAcrisure AmphitheaterGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Muskegon Township
About 2 of every 100 Muskegon Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Muskegon ( mə-SKEE-gən) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan's eastern shore. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 38,318. The city is administratively autonomous from adjacent Muskegon Township, and several locations in Muskegon Township and other surrounding townships have Muskegon addresses. Muskegon is the center of the Muskegon metropolitan statistical area, which is coextensive with Muskegon County and had a population of 175,824 as of the 2020 census. It is also part of the larger Gr…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Muskegon Township.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Egelston Township (D) is closest. North Muskegon next door grades higher for schools (A− to Muskegon Township’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to B).
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon Township | #638 | D | B | C | C+ | C− |
| Muskegon | #661 | D | B | — | C− | D− |
| Dalton Township | #476 | C+ | B− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Egelston Township | #634 | D | B+ | — | C+ | D |
| Laketon Township | #348 | B | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| North Muskegon | #79 | A | C | — | A− | A− |
| Cedar Creek Township | #617 | C− | B− | — | C | C |
| Fruitport Township | #509 | C+ | C+ | — | B | C |
Muskegon, Dalton Township, Egelston Township, Laketon Township, North Muskegon, Cedar Creek Township and Fruitport Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Muskegon Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Muskegon Township grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #638 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
