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Michigan›Isabella County
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Vernon TownshipMI

A town of 1,325.

Population
1,325
2025 Census estimate · +2.2% since 2020
Median home value
$204K
Census ACS
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
53.0
years
Jobs based here
256
A commuter town

Is Vernon Township a good place to live?

The best of Vernon Township’s subject grades is an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. Vernon Township’s median age is 53 years, where Michigan’s towns sit at 42.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. Only 110 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on the outdoors. Vernon Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestAHazard riskA−Civic lifeWeakestDWalkabilityDHealth

What makes Vernon Township stand out

Where Vernon Township beats most towns.

14Very low riskLowerHigher
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town

1,325 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Rosebush · 4 miClare · 5 miIsabella Township · 5 miGilmore Township · 6 miFarwell · 6 miWise Township · 7 mi
ClareWise TownshipGilmore TownshipGrant TownshipIsabella TownshipSheridan TownshipClareWise TownshipGilmore TownshipGrant TownshipIsabella TownshipSheridan TownshipVernon Township

How Vernon Township grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Vernon Township is from typical.

How grading works

WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 3.6% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 14% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →HealthMclaren Central Michigan 11.2 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsBeat 59% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Jobs & income$81K median household incomeB−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $204K, 3.7 years of the Mount Pleasant area’s $55K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsDOpen →HistoryB−Open →Civic life3.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Who lives here20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Vernon Township: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Vernon Township, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Clare water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Vernon Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsClare Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereVernon Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP codes48617, 48878, 4862248617 72% · 48878 18% · 48622 9%Census 2020

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 Vernon Township.

HealthD

Vernon Township earns a D for health

17% of Vernon Township adults report frequent physical distress, above both the Michigan town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Vernon Township. Vernon Township beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15.

14%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
Vernon TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%14%14%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)19%15%14%
Depression (CDC PLACES)29%27%23%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)20%18%17%
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better17 too close to call15 worse
What stands outVernon TownshipMI
More older adults who have lost all their teeth15.5%10.2%
More adults with COPD11.2%8.1%
More smokers19%14.6%
Mclaren Central Michigan
11.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
Full pageVernon Township’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore smokersHospitals & doctors nearby11.2 miles to an ER · Mclaren Central MichiganHow adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distressEvery CDC estimateBetter than MI on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

Vernon Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.

14risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
14Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
Full pageVernon Township’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery low riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters9 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready0.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−

Most of Vernon Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them

Most working residents leave Vernon Township for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2011, Vernon Township has added 120 jobs, to 256 in 2021. The average trip to work in Vernon Township is 28 minutes.

3%work in town
Vernon TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work28 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town2.8%5.9%8%

Where working residents work

In Vernon Township3%
Mount Pleasant13%
Clare13%
Midland5%
Chippewa Township5%
15 mi
median commute distance
256
jobs based in Vernon Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Full pageVernon Township’s work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here256 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work3% work in Vernon TownshipCommute times28 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 15 miles

Census LEHD 2021 · ACS

Climate

Vernon Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Vernon Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 14° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.

49″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter17–32°
Spring33–56°
Summer56–80°
Fall39–59°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
Full pageVernon Township’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 82°, January lows 14°Rain & snow49″ of snow a winter · 33 inches of rain and snow a yearHeating & coolingMostly a heating billThen and now+1.8° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsD

Conserved land covers 2% of Vernon Township

2.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Vernon Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.

2%conserved
Vernon TownshipMichigan townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.1 miles per square mile0.30.4
Conserved land2%4.4%4.3%
2%
conserved · 445 of 22,675 acres
2.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Stevenson Lake Public Access—1
Full pageVernon Township’s outdoors pageOpen the page
Trail map2.1 miles of trail, mappedPick a walk1 acres · Stevenson Lake Public AccessConserved land2% conserved · 445 acres protectedQuestions“Where can I hike in Vernon Township?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Vernon Township

17pages on Vernon Township
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 59% of MI districtsHealthDBetter than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB−Work & commuteB−$81K median household income · 256 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 14% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
OutdoorsD2 mi of trails · 2% conserved landPlacesAttractions15 nearby · Chippewa Nature Center 28 miLibraryA−Faith Johnston Memorial LibraryCollegesSaginaw Chippewa Tribal College is 10.7 mi away
The story
Town Hall & politicsClimate82° summer highs · 49″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

3 within 15 miles of the center of Vernon Township

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mount Pleasant10.7 mi$2,730 in-state tuitionCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Mount Pleasant11.6 mi$14,760 in-state tuitionMid Michigan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrison14.7 mi$6,132 in-state tuition

About 4 of every 100 Vernon Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Vernon Township for work

Where Vernon Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

13% → Mount Pleasant Mount Pleasant 13% 13% → Clare Clare 13% 5% → Midland Midland 5% 5% → Chippewa Township Chippewa Township 5% 4% → Grant Township Grant Township 4% 4% → Union Township Union Township 4% Vernon Township · 3% stay
256jobs based in Vernon Township
3%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2021

About Vernon Township

Civil township in Michigan, United States

Official town website ↗

Vernon Township is a civil township of Isabella County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,300 based on the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
36 sq mi
Elevation
853 ft

Questions about Vernon Township

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Vernon 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 B−.