Union TownshipMI
A town of 11,850.
Is Union Township a good place to live?
Union Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 629th of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 42% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $391K for a typical one and 7.1 times the Mount Pleasant area’s $55K median household income. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Union Township, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Union Township is home to Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College. On history, just 93 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse.
What makes Union Township stand out
Where Union Township beats most towns.
24% of Union Township is in college
How Union Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Union Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Union Township: who provides what
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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Union Township.
Union Township is shaped by its college students and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
The median age in Union Township is lower than in the typical Michigan or U.S. town
23.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down. The median household earns $43,694, against $72,875 across Michigan, one input to its C for jobs and income.
Union Township’s median age is 24.6 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 51% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 23% of residents (38% statewide). 11% of Union Township residents are 65 or older.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.6 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 26% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 24.3, men 24.9.
| Union Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 36% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Public schools in Union Township fall behind 58% of Michigan districts
One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renaissance Public School AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 428 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Union Township stands out in Michigan and nationally, with fewer of its households who own their home
At 7.1 years of the Mount Pleasant area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $391K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
39% of households own their home in Union Township. The typical Union Township home is worth about $391,000, up 3.5% in a year, 48% above the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Union Township is $896 a month.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $896 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Union Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Union Township since 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Union Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Union Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.3% of Union Township is conserved land
4.3 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Meridian County Park, at 145 acres with 2.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meridian County Park | 2.9 mi | 145 |
| 2. McDonald Park | 0.5 mi | 20 |
| 3. Indian Pines Park | — | 75 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
On CDC estimates, Union Township is less healthy than 63% of U.S. towns
Against the 3,574 U.S. towns with household incomes like Union Township’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Union Township beats the Michigan average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Union Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3% | 3.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.1% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Union Township
Union Township has about as many jobs (4,113) as working residents, but only 294 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17.6 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Union Township for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2011, Union Township has added 468 jobs, to 4,113 in 2021. The top destinations are Mount Pleasant (29%), Chippewa Township (9%) and Midland (4%).
| Union Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 4% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Everything we know about Union Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Union Township
College town 24 of every 100 Union Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Union Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Union Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | #629 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
| Deerfield Township | #671 | D | C− | — | B− | C+ |
| Chippewa Township | #579 | C− | B | — | B− | C |
| Lincoln Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C |
| Isabella Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C |
Lincoln Township and Isabella Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Union Township, Deerfield Township, Chippewa Township, Lincoln Township and Isabella Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Union Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Union Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Union Township, MI a good place to live?
Union Township grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #629 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools.
Is Union Township, MI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.