Watertown TownshipMI
A town of 5,890, settled in 1841. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Is Watertown Township a good place to live?
Watertown Township grades B+ overall, 252nd of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $115K and its schools rank ahead of 83% of Michigan towns. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 70% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $289K, 4 years of the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Watertown Township’s median household income is $115,000, where Michigan’s towns sit at $77,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Hawk Meadow Park, at 53 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
What makes Watertown Township stand out
Where Watertown Township beats most towns.
Watertown Township has grown 22% since 2010
4,836 counted in 2010 and 5,563 in 2020; an estimated 5,890 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.9% since 2020, after 15% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Watertown Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Watertown Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Watertown Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watertown 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 Watertown Township.
Watertown Township trades workers with Lansing and other neighbors, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has household incomes well above the Michigan norm.
For schools, Watertown Township earns an A−
Its public schools are run by the Grand Ledge Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wacousta Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 457 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
For health, Watertown Township earns a B+
Against the 6,463 U.S. towns with household incomes like Watertown Township’s, it is less healthy than 60%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
32% of Watertown Township adults sleep under 7 hours. Watertown Township beats the Michigan average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 22% of Watertown Township adults get no exercise outside work.
| Watertown Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Watertown Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.2% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.1% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Watertown Township has set aside 0.9% of its land for conservation
5.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Watertown Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hawk Meadow Park | 1.2 mi | 53 |
| 2. Heritage Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Looking Glass Valley Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Watertown Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Watertown Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents commute out of Watertown Township
Watertown Township has about as many jobs (2,839) as working residents, but only 126 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,924 in 2011 to 2,839.
Most working residents leave Watertown Township for work: only 5% work in town. 3% of residents live below the poverty line in Watertown Township. Jobs based in Watertown Township grew to 2,839 in 2021, 915 more than in 2011.
| Watertown Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Low risk in Watertown Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Watertown Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watertown Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
36 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
9 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
8 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum
10 mi GardenW. J. Beal Botanical Garden
8 mi MuseumImpression 5 Science CenterPhoto credits
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0 · W. J. Beal Botanical Garden: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Impression 5 Science Center: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Watertown Township
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Watertown Township
About 2 of every 100 Watertown Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Watertown Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Watertown Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown Township | #252 | B+ | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Eagle Township | #83 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Wacousta | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Delta Township | #250 | B+ | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Riley Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | A− |
| DeWitt Township | #380 | B− | C | B | C+ | B+ |
Riley Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Watertown Township, Eagle Township, Delta Township and Riley Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Wacousta isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Watertown Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Watertown Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watertown Township, MI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Watertown Township grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #252 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Watertown 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.