Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,969.
Union Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $126K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Coldwater area’s $64K median household income. It grades C overall, 526th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $64K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. Only 81 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on history. Union Township’s median age is 33.1 years, where Michigan’s towns sit at 42.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. The biggest park or preserve is Riverbend County Park, at 22 acres.
Where Union Township beats most towns.
Where Union Township’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 Union Township is from typical.
Its best grade is an A for history (#58 of 701 in Michigan; 1 place on the National Register), which describes the town but isn’t part of the overall grade; its C comes from the livability subjects above.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,121 in 2000, 2,942 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 4 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Union 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 Union Township.
Union Township sends most of its workers to Coldwater and beyond, but it has little public open land.
19% of Union Township adults smoke cigarettes. Union Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Union Township adults report frequent physical distress.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Union Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.6% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 18.9% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Union City Community Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Union City High School, with 305 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 359 | C− |
| Union City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 305 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Union Township has 331 jobs for its 1,125 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Union Township for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Union Township fell to 331 in 2021, 67 fewer than in 2011. The average trip to work in Union Township is 27 minutes.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2017, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Union Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 10 of its 22,904 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Union Township itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
1.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Union Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverbend County Park | — | 22 |
| 2. Riverview Community Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union Township. Close and well known come first.
27 mi Theme parkAir Zoo15 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
19 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
32 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year25 mi Theme parkFun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo
30 mi MuseumKalamazoo Institute of ArtsAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Union Township; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Union Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Union Township is a civil township of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,942 at the 2020 census. The village of Union City is the only incorporated municipality in the township. The only other settlement in the primarily agricultural township is the unincorporated community of Hodunk, situated on the boundary with adjacent Girard Township near the junction of Hog Creek and the Coldwater River. Hodunk is at 42°00′53″N 85°03′42″W. The FIPS place code is 38580.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Union Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | #526 | C | A− | — | B− | C− |
| Sherwood Township | — | — | A− | — | C | C− |
| Girard Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | C |
| Burlington Township | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Batavia Township | — | — | A | — | B | C− |
Sherwood Township, Girard Township, Burlington Township and Batavia Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Union Township, Sherwood Township, Girard Township, Burlington Township and Batavia Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Union Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union Township grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #526 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
