Otisco TownshipMI
A town of 2,303, settled in 1838.
Is Otisco Township a good place to live?
Otisco Township’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and a B+ for history; its weakest is a C for health. Otisco Township’s average trip to work is 39 minutes, above both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest park or preserve is Flat River State Game Area, at 1,009 acres. Otisco Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Otisco Township stand out
Where Otisco Township beats most towns.
96% of working residents leave Otisco Township for work
Where Otisco Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
How Otisco Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Otisco Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Otisco Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otisco 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Otisco Township.
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Otisco Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Otisco Township fall behind 57% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Berrien Springs Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Link Learning Virtual Program, with 2,526 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Community Christian School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–7 | Grades PK–7 | 116 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Otisco Township has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Otisco Township for work: only 4% work in town. 3.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Otisco Township, below both the Michigan town median (8.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Otisco Township’s median household income is $62,000.
| Otisco Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Residents of Otisco Township are less healthy than 68% of U.S. towns
Otisco Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Otisco Township.
| Otisco Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Otisco Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.1% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Otisco Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Otisco Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 15° and about 66 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.9% of Otisco Township is conserved land
2.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Otisco Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Otisco Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flat River State Game Area | 0.5 mi | 1,009 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
North Country Trail and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Otisco Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
22 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
18 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park23 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
20 mi Theme parkRamona Park
24 mi Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball ZooPhoto credits
North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Otisco Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Otisco Township
About 2 of every 100 Otisco Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Otisco Township
Township in Michigan, United States
Otisco Township is a civil township of Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,268. Township offices are located in the community of Smyrna.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 32 sq mi
- Elevation
- 820 ft
Otisco Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Otisco Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otisco Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Orleans Township | #468 | C+ | A | — | B− | C− |
| Grattan Township | #231 | B+ | C+ | — | A | B |
| Keene Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Eureka Township | #110 | A | A | — | A− | C |
Otisco Township and Keene Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Otisco Township, Orleans Township, Grattan Township, Keene Township and Eureka Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Otisco Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Otisco Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Otisco Township, MI expensive?
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−.