Sylvan TownshipMI
83% more nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town. A town of 3,545, settled in 1834.
Is Sylvan Township a good place to live?
Sylvan Township does the important things well, at a cost. Where it does best is health — it is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $396K, 4.4 years of the Ann Arbor metro’s $89K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns. That places it 72nd of 697 in Michigan. The biggest place to walk is Waterloo State Recreation Area, 2,686 acres with 20.1 miles of trail. On civic life, just 123 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns do better. 53% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, where Michigan’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Sylvan Township stand out
Where Sylvan Township beats most towns.
Sylvan Township has grown 25% since 2010
2,833 counted in 2010 and 3,311 in 2020; an estimated 3,545 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.9% since 2020, after 16.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Sylvan Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Sylvan Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Sylvan Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sylvan 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sylvan Township.
Sylvan Township has less food insecurity than most of Michigan and has an unusually large share working from home.
A smaller share of adults in Sylvan Township sleep under 7 hours than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 7% of its 10,273 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sylvan Township. Of 32 CDC measures, Sylvan Township beats the Michigan average on 22 and trails it on 1. In Sylvan Township, 16% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Sylvan Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Sylvan Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Open space protected for good: 14.8% of Sylvan Township
There are 27 miles of trail across 6 parks and preserves. Sylvan Township’s density of trails stands at 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterloo State Recreation Area | 20.1 mi | 2,686 |
| 2. Koenn Preserve | 1.7 mi | 80 |
| 3. Squiers Preserve | 0.9 mi | 55 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Sylvan Township has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Sylvan Township than in 83% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Sylvan Township break down as 50% from inland flooding and 23% from tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sylvan Township stands out in Michigan and nationally: a smaller share of its residents live below the poverty line
23.5% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Between 2011 and 2021, jobs in Sylvan Township rose by 407, to 465. The median household income for Sylvan Township comes to $103,000. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 2% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Ann Arbor (22%), Chelsea (12%) and Scio Township (6%).
| Sylvan Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The climate in Sylvan Township brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Sylvan Township’s typical July afternoon high is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Michigan Stadium and 28 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sylvan Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
20 mi Park & preserveDomino's Farms
24 mi LandmarkYpsilanti Water Tower40 mi MuseumMarvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
36 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
17 mi TheatreMichigan TheaterPhoto credits
Michigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Domino's Farms: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Ypsilanti Water Tower: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michigan Theater: mrkumm, CC BY 2.0
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Everything we know about Sylvan Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sylvan Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Sylvan Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
98% of working residents leave Sylvan Township for work
Where Sylvan Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Sylvan Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Sylvan Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,311 at the 2020 census. The population was overall a large decrease from 6,425 at the 2000 census, which was due to Chelsea incorporating into a city in 2004.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 935 ft
Sylvan Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Sylvan Township.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Lima Township (A) comes closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvan Township | #72 | A | D | — | A | A |
| Chelsea | #91 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Lima Township | #87 | A | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Sharon Township | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Lyndon Township | #134 | A− | C | — | A | A |
| Waterloo Township | #537 | C | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Grass Lake Township | #138 | A− | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
Sharon Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sylvan Township, Lima Township, Sharon Township, Lyndon Township, Waterloo Township and Grass Lake Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sylvan Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Sylvan Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sylvan Township, MI a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sylvan Township grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #72 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Sylvan Township, MI expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.