Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,705, settled in 1867. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Spring Lake Township grades A overall, 107th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 93% of the state's and the median household earns $97K. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $430K for a typical one and 5.2 times the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. Spring Lake Township’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). On the outdoors, just 106 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Spring Lake Township has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Aloys Bilz House and Fruitport Road-Pettys Bayou Bridge.
Where Spring Lake Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Holmes Elementary School | PK–4 | 409 |
| Jeffers Elementary School | PK–4 | 379 |
| Lake Hills Elementary School | PK–4 | 273 |
| Widest gap | Spring Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 15.4% |
8.3% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Spring Lake Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 179 in 1860, a low of 179 in 1860, 2,497 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 2 maps from 1930 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake Township.
Spring Lake Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan.
On this, Spring Lake Township is above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 39 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is North Ottawa Dunes County Park, 514 acres with 16.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Ottawa Dunes County Park | 16.9 mi | 514 |
| 2. P.J. Hoffmaster State Park | 9.8 mi | 332 |
| 3. Minnie Skwarek Nature Preserve | 0.7 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Spring Lake Public Schools. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 409 | A+ |
| Spring Lake High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 795 | A+ |
| Jeffers Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 379 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Spring Lake Township is $1,287 a month.
| Spring Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,287 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 9.1% of its 15,396 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Spring Lake Township. Spring Lake Township beats the Michigan average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults feel lonely in Spring Lake Township.
| Spring Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Spring Lake Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Spring Lake Township for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2011, Spring Lake Township has added 777 jobs, to 4,547 in 2021. 4.9% of Spring Lake Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Spring Lake Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The Muskegon Co Ap weather station, 8 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Spring Lake Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Spring Lake Township’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spring Lake Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spring Lake Township. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
31 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
12 mi MuseumUSS LST-39327 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater12 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health ArenaGerald 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 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Spring Lake Township
About 4 of every 100 Spring Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Spring Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
2 places in Spring Lake Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Michigan, United States
Spring Lake is a village in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,497 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Spring Lake Township. The two share a ZIP code, which also serves most of the neighboring city of Ferrysburg and slivers of Crockery Township in Ottawa County and Fruitport Township and the city of Norton Shores in Muskegon County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Spring Lake Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Township | #107 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Ferrysburg | #124 | A− | B− | — | A | A |
| Spring Lake | #2 | A+ | B | — | A+ | A− |
| Grand Haven Township | #133 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Crockery Township | #25 | A+ | A− | — | A | B+ |
| Grand Haven | #117 | A | B− | B− | A | B+ |
| Fruitport Township | #509 | C+ | C+ | — | B | C |
| Norton Shores | #486 | C+ | C− | C | B+ | B |
Spring Lake Township, Ferrysburg, Spring Lake, Grand Haven Township, Crockery Township and Fruitport Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Spring Lake Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Spring Lake Township grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #107 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A 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 C.
