Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,002, settled in 1852. A regional job hub with 3,026 jobs.
South Haven grades D overall, 664th of 697 graded towns in Michigan, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 22 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. South Haven’s property crime rate is 61.3 per 1,000 residents, where Michigan’s towns sit at 7.8 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Only 52 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on cost of living. South Haven has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Liberty Hyde Bailey Birthplace and Nichols Hotel.
Where South Haven beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where South Haven’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far South Haven is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 2%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 308 in 1860, a peak of 6,471 in 1970, 3,964 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 4 maps from 1927 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Haven, 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 South Haven.
South Haven has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Michigan, is a second-home town and draws workers from South Haven Township and beyond.
Property crime runs at 61.3 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Michigan rate, most of it theft.
South Haven’s violent crime rate is 5.5 per 1,000 residents. South Haven reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the South Haven Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is South Haven High School, with 588 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 377 | C |
| South Haven High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 588 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
3,026 jobs are based in South Haven, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of South Haven’s working residents works in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in South Haven. The top destinations are Kalamazoo (5%), South Haven Township (4%) and Holland (3%).
| South Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
31.9% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.5% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
The median age in South Haven is 61.7 years. People 65 and older are 42% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (22% statewide). 41% of South Haven adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| South Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 61.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 13% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 26% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.5 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| South Haven | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 19.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
| South Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanley Johnson Park | 0.6 mi | 9 |
| 2. Riverfront Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 3. Black River Park | 0.2 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $4,726, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical South Haven home is worth about $371,000, up 3.6% in a year, 40% above the Michigan typical home.
| South Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $834 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 84% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Haven.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Haven beats the Michigan average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than South Haven.
| South Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | South Haven | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 15.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.8% | 77.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Bloomingdale weather station, 16 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 156 days, the highest of 1,980 Michigan places with climate records. The Bloomingdale weather station, 16 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
South Haven has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 20°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of South Haven; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 South Haven residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
4,403 counted in 2010 and 3,964 in 2020; an estimated 4,002 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in South Haven on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in South Haven.
City in Michigan, United States
South Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 3,964 at the 2020 census. Because of its position on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven has always been a port city. During settlement, major ship lines stopped there, both passenger and freight. In the early 1900s South Haven became a resort town, sometimes referred to as "The Catskills of the Midwest." South Haven is a major regional tourist draw because of its recreational harbor and beaches. It is the western terminus of the Kal-Haven Trail, popular with bicyclists and snowmobilers. Nearby are Van …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with South Haven.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Haven · South Haven Township | #664 | D | C− | D− | B− | C |
| Casco Township | #529 | C | B− | — | B− | C− |
Casco Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. South Haven Township and South Haven are one community, graded once. Compare South Haven with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
South Haven grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #664 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
16 notable people were born here, including Audrey Niffenegger and Liberty Hyde Bailey.
