Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 23,971, organized in 1839.
Oshtemo Township grades C overall, ranked 567th of 697 in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $308K for a typical one and 4.2 times the Kalamazoo metro’s $73K median household income. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Oshtemo Township, above both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Oshtemo Township has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Silas W. Kendall House and Oshtemo Town Hall.
Where Oshtemo Township beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Oshtemo Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 27% | 34.7% |
Silas W. Kendall HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Oshtemo Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1852 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oshtemo 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 Oshtemo Township.
Oshtemo Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Kalamazoo and other neighbors.
21 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Lillian Anderson Arboretum, at 146 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Oshtemo Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oshtemo Township Park | 4 mi | 72 |
| 2. Lillian Anderson Arboretum | 3.6 mi | 146 |
| 3. Wolf Tree Nature Trails | 1.8 mi | 64 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Kalamazoo Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Ridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 449 | – |
| Boys To Men Group HomeLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,347 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oshtemo Township’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of Oshtemo Township adults sleep under 7 hours. Oshtemo Township beats the Michigan average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of Oshtemo Township adults smoke cigarettes.
| Oshtemo Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Oshtemo Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 27% | 34.7% |
| Fewer smokers | 11.7% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Bloomingdale weather station, 15 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Oshtemo Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 17°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Oshtemo Township has about as many jobs (10,179) as working residents, but only 767 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 7,224 in 2011 to 10,179.
Most working residents leave Oshtemo Township for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Oshtemo Township grew to 10,179 in 2021, 2,955 more than in 2011. The median household income in Oshtemo Township is $58,000.
| Oshtemo Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oshtemo Township. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
18 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
6 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of Arts28 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
38 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
6 mi MuseumKalamazoo Valley MuseumAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kalamazoo Valley Museum: Cody Hough, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Oshtemo Township
About 11 of every 100 Oshtemo Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
4 places in Oshtemo Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Charter township in Michigan, United States
Oshtemo Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census recorded a population of 23,747, up from 21,705 at the 2010 census. The township was organized in 1839.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Oshtemo Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oshtemo Township | #567 | C | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Kalamazoo | #675 | D | C+ | D− | C | C |
| Texas Township | #206 | B+ | C− | — | A | A− |
| Alamo Township | #169 | A− | C+ | — | A | B+ |
| Kalamazoo Township | #667 | D | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Almena Township | #428 | B− | C+ | — | B | B− |
Oshtemo Township, Texas Township, Alamo Township and Almena Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Oshtemo Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oshtemo Township grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #567 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
