Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
36% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Walkability is where it shines (B+): it is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Paw Paw Township’s overall B− puts it 395th of 697 in Michigan. Set against the rest, it does better than just over half of U.S. towns. Incomes are its weak spot: the median household income is $61K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $197K, 2.9 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It lags on health as well: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 61% of the country. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Van Buren County Courthouse Complex and Paw Paw City Hall. A quarter of residents are under 18 in the town, above both the Michigan town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%).
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Paw Paw Township beats most towns.
Paw Paw City HallEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Paw Paw Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,428 in 1870, 3,362 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1988 and 2 maps from 1944 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paw Paw 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 Paw Paw Township.
Paw Paw Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
The FEMA risk score for Paw Paw Township comes to 28 of 100. Expected losses in Paw Paw Township break down as 44% from inland flooding and 16% from tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of its 7 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Public schools: the Paw Paw Public School District. 4 public schools serve Paw Paw Township, with 1,508 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 498 | B− |
| Cedar Street Community and Family CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 76 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The Bloomingdale weather station, 13 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Sora Meadows, at 62 acres. Trails run 4.8 miles in 8 parks and preserves. Paw Paw Township’s trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Paw Paw Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sora Meadows | — | 62 |
| 2. Tyler Field | — | 11 |
| 3. Sunset Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Half of commuters travel less than 17 miles. The top destinations are Kalamazoo (12%), Antwerp Township (10%) and Portage (7%). The average trip to work in Paw Paw Township is 23 minutes.
| Paw Paw Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Against the 9,142 U.S. towns with household incomes like Paw Paw Township’s, it is healthier than 60%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
33% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Paw Paw Township. This Michigan town tracks Michigan closely on all 32 CDC measures.
| Paw Paw Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paw Paw Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
20 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
38 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
39 mi State parkWarren Dunes State Park
31 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year
40 mi MuseumStudebaker National MuseumNotre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Warren Dunes State Park: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paw Paw Township
About 2 of every 100 Paw Paw Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Paw Paw Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Michigan, United States
Paw Paw is a village in and the county seat of Van Buren County, Michigan. The population was 3,362 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Paw Paw Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Township | #395 | B− | B | — | B | C+ |
| Waverly Township | #573 | C− | B− | — | B− | C |
| Antwerp Township | #196 | B+ | B | — | A− | B− |
| Lawrence Township | #635 | D | B | — | C+ | D |
| Decatur Township | #474 | C+ | A− | — | B− | C |
| Paw Paw | #577 | C− | B+ | D | B | C |
Paw Paw Township, Waverly Township, Antwerp Township, Lawrence Township and Decatur Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Paw Paw Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paw Paw Township grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #395 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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