Joseph M. Loop House · National Register of Historic Places
Sanilac Township’s story
Sanilac Township in pictures
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Sanilac TownshipMI
A town of 2,281. 65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,281
2025 Census estimate · −0.8% since 2020
Median home value
$174K
Census ACS
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
57.9
years
Jobs based here
194
A commuter town
Is Sanilac Township a good place to live?
The best of Sanilac Township’s subject grades are an A for civic life and history; the weakest is a D for incomes. 34% of residents are 65 or older in Sanilac Township, above both the Michigan town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Only 126 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score higher on civic life. Sanilac Township has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Port Sanilac Light Station and Joseph M. Loop House. Sanilac Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sanilac Township stand out
Where Sanilac Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Sanilac Township5.1
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MI town3.1
Civic lifeA
65% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Michigan town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Joseph M. Loop HouseHistoryA
3 historic places
3 places on the National Register
Listed for their history, architecture or both.
A commuter town
90% of working residents leave Sanilac Township for work
Where Sanilac Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
194jobs based in Sanilac Township
10%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Sanilac Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Sanilac Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 14% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income$57K median household incomeDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthDeckerville Community Hospital 11.3 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsC−Open →History3 places on the National RegisterAOpen →Civic life5.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sanilac Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sanilac Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSanilac Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sanilac Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereSanilac Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes48469, 48419, 4840148469 49% · 48419 26% · 48401 24%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 Sanilac Township.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Sanilac Township, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Sanilac Township since 1989.
14risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1989
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB−
On state tests, Sanilac Township’s schools beat 51% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Carsonville-Port Sanilac School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
51%of MI districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| CarsonvillePort Sanilac HSLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 187 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Sanilac Township is less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns
Sanilac Township beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 42% of Sanilac Township adults have high blood pressure, against 36% in Michigan’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 16% of Sanilac Township adults report frequent physical distress.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sanilac Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
1 better22 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Sanilac Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 77.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8.1% |
Deckerville Community Hospital
11.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Sanilac Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Sanilac Township for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Sanilac Township is 34 minutes. Since 2011, Sanilac Township has added 34 jobs, to 194 in 2021.
10%work in town
| Sanilac Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.6% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sanilac Township10%
Sandusky12%
Croswell7%
Worth Township6%
Marion Township6%
23 mi
median commute distance
194
jobs based in Sanilac Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
In Sanilac Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Sanilac Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sanilac Township’s July high is 80°F.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–32°
Spring35–53°
Summer59–78°
Fall43–59°
Oct 24
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
Sanilac Township has set aside 1% of its land for conservation
2.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve, at 21 acres.
1%conserved
| Sanilac 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% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
1%
conserved · 266 of 25,967 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve | — | 21 |
| 2. Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum | — | 9 |
| 3. Bark Shanty Community Center | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sanilac Township
17pages on Sanilac Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sanilac Township; the nearest are
St Clair County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Port Huron30.5 mi$5,212 in-state tuitionOakland UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Rochester Hills59.8 mi$15,262 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Sanilac Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Landmarks
3 places in Sanilac Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Sanilac Township
Township in Michigan, United States
Sanilac Township is a civil township of Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,301 at the 2020 census. The village of Port Sanilac is within the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 41 sq mi
- Elevation
- 719 ft
Sanilac Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Sanilac Township.
Port SanilacWashington TownshipForester TownshipSanilac Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanilac Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C− |
| Port Sanilac | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Washington Township | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C− |
| Forester Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Sanilac Township and Washington Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sanilac Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Port Sanilac and Forester Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sanilac Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Sanilac Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sanilac Township, MI a good place to live?
65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Is Sanilac Township, MI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $174,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.