Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,383, organized in 1860. A typical home costs 2.8 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income.
The best of Stanton’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for safety and civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Stanton, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 6 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on cost of living. Giles Gilbert House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Stanton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Stanton beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Stanton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 600 in 1870, 1,348 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and a map from 1964 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stanton, 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 Stanton.
Most working residents leave Stanton for work: only 11% work in town. Stanton’s median household income is $49,000, below both Michigan’s towns ($77,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Jobs based in Stanton fell to 1,388 in 2021, 294 fewer than in 2011.
| Stanton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Montcalm Area ISD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montcalm Area ISD Transition CenterLargest public school before high school | 17 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The property crime rate in Stanton is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Stanton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Stanton beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 20% of Stanton adults report frequent mental distress.
| Stanton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Stanton | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.2% | 10.2% |
| More smokers | 18.3% | 14.6% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 20.4% | 17.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Stanton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Stanton’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
62% of households own their home in Stanton. Typical home values rose 7.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Stanton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $640 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Stanton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. D. Hale Brake Park | — | 16 |
| 2. Maddie's House Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Stanton
About 3 of every 100 Stanton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Stanton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
City in Michigan, United States
Stanton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,348 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Montcalm County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.