Wolcott Mill · National Register of Historic Places
Ray Township’s story
199 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 maps from 1914 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1827Ray Township is settled
Wolcott Mill · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,848
2025 Census estimate · +1.9% since 2020
Typical home
$429K
+5.8% in a year
Household income
$118K
median
Median age
48.9
years
Jobs based here
386
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#291 of 697 in MI
Is Ray Township a good place to live?
Ray Township grades B overall, 291st of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $118K and its schools rank ahead of 87% of Michigan towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $429K, 5.6 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Wolcott Mill Metropark, at 3,010 acres with 20.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Ray Township’s typical journey to work is 33 minutes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
What makes Ray Township stand out
Where Ray Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Ray Township for work
Where Ray Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
386jobs based in Ray Township
5%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Ray Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Ray Township is from typical.
Jobs & incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.1 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →HealthHenry Ford Macomb Hospital 10.8 miles awayB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 48% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9% conserved landA−Open →History1 place on the National RegisterAOpen →Civic life1.9 library visits per resident; 3.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 48.9; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ray Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ray Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMacomb Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFridayHire your ownTown site
SchoolsRomeo Community SchoolsArmada Area SchoolsNew Haven Community Schools3 districts serve Ray Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRay Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4809648096 100%Census 2020
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 Ray Township.
Ray Township sends most of its workers to Sterling Heights and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has household incomes well above the Michigan norm.
HousingCost of living grade C
For cost of living, Ray Township earns a C
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 5.8%.
$429KZillow home value
Typical home value
Ray Township$429K
Michigan$264K
+5.8%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsA
For schools, Ray Township earns an A
The New Haven Community Schools runs its public schools. Its two schools are below. 595 students attend Ray Township’s public school.
87%of MI districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavour Elementary and Middle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 595 | C+ |
| St. Joseph's Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–11 | Grades K–11 | 50 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
OutdoorsA−
Open space protected for good: 9.3% of Ray Township
In Ray Township, the trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile. 25 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves.
#214for trails in MI
| Ray Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
9.3%
conserved · 2,170 of 23,292 acres
25 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wolcott Mill Metropark | 20.6 mi | 3,010 |
| 2. W.C. Wetzel State Recreation Area | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Ray Township sends most of its workers out of town
Ray Township has 386 jobs for its 1,664 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 32.5 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most people who work leave Ray Township to do it: just 5% work in town. Jobs here fell by 23 from 2011 to 2021, to 386. Half the trips to work are shorter than 15 miles. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 6.4%.
5%work in town
| Ray Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $118,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ray Township5%
Sterling Heights8%
Troy7%
Clinton Township7%
Warren6%
15 mi
median commute distance
386
jobs based in Ray Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 8% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Ray Township’s year
The range runs from 18° on a January night to 83° on a July afternoon, with about 47 inches of snow a winter.
47″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–34°
Spring37–57°
Summer60–81°
Fall43–61°
Oct 20
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Ray Township is healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
Against the 6,034 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ray Township’s, it is less healthy than 82%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
17% of Ray Township adults report frequent mental distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Ray Township beats the Michigan average on 5 and trails it on 3. Two figures for adults here: 39% have high blood pressure, 27% have been diagnosed with depression.
54%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Ray Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
5 better24 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Ray Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.4% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.9% |
Henry Ford Macomb Hospital
10.8 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
56th
percentile among MI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Ray Township: inland flooding
Households in Ray Township have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 52% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 64% come from inland flooding and 16% from tornadoes.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ray Township
18pages on Ray Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ray Township
About 2 of every 100 Ray Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Ray Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Ray Township is a civil township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,780.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 37 sq mi
- Elevation
- 650 ft
Ray Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Ray Township.
Lenox TownshipWashington TownshipMacomb TownshipArmada TownshipRay Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Township | #291 | B | C | — | A | B− |
| Lenox Township | #437 | C+ | C | — | B+ | C |
| Washington Township | #225 | B+ | C− | — | A | B+ |
| Macomb Township | #219 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Armada Township | #94 | A | B− | — | A | B+ |
Ray Township, Lenox Township, Washington Township, Macomb Township and Armada Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ray Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Ray Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ray Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Ray Township grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #291 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ray Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.