Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,390, settled in 1850. 2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Three Oaks’ best subject grades are an A for civic life and an A− for the outdoors. Three Oaks’ average trip to work is 19 minutes, against 25 minutes in Michigan’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Three Oaks's schools rank ahead of 73% of Michigan towns. The biggest park or preserve is Watkins Memorial Park, at 29 acres. Three Oaks has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Three Oaks beats most towns.
1,622 counted in 2010 and 1,370 in 2020; an estimated 1,390 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Three Oaks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 499 in 1870, a peak of 1,829 in 2000, 1,370 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 2 maps from 1930 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Three Oaks, 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 Three Oaks.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Three Oaks for work: only 7% work in town. 15% of Three Oaks workers work from home, where Michigan’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 11%. The top destinations are Three Oaks Township (9%), New Buffalo (7%) and New Buffalo Township (7%).
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 15% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The typical Three Oaks home is worth about $339,000, up 11.9% in a year, 28% above the Michigan typical home. 69% of Three Oaks households own their home.
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,074 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Three Oaks has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 29% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (19% statewide). The median age in Three Oaks is 36.3 years. Three Oaks has lost 2.1% of its people since 2020, down to 1,390 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
Somewhere between 31% and 54% women
The Census survey reached too few of Three Oaks’ residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.5 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Three Oaks | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Three Oaks’ property crime rate is 5 per 1,000 residents.
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Watkins Memorial Park | — | 29 |
| 2. Dewey Cannon Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Carver Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three Oaks beats the Michigan average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Three Oaks.
| Three Oaks | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 78% | 80% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Three Oaks | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Three Oaks. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
17 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
8 mi State parkWarren Dunes State Park
20 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
18 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
20 mi MuseumStudebaker National MuseumNotre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Warren Dunes State Park: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Three Oaks; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Three Oaks residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 notable people were born in Three Oaks.
Village in Michigan, United States
Three Oaks is a village in Three Oaks Township, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,370 at the 2020 census. The village of Three Oaks is located in the southwest corner of Michigan, just 5 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan and within 2 miles of the Indiana state line along US 12.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Donald S. Whitehead and Elton Rynearson.
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