Paw Paw River PA210041, 2006
Watervliet’s story
178 years in pictures
Census counts: 179 in 1880, 1,669 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
- 1848Watervliet is settled
WatervlietMI
A town of 1,720, settled in 1848.
Population
1,720
2025 Census estimate · +3.8% since 2020
Typical home
$240K
+8.8% in a year
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
29.1
years
Jobs based here
402
A commuter town
Is Watervliet a good place to live?
The best of Watervliet’s subject grades is an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for health. On health, just 26 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Watervliet has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Watervliet stand out
Where Watervliet beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Watervliet for work
Where Watervliet’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
402jobs based in Watervliet
6%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
How Watervliet grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Watervliet is from typical.
HealthCorewell Health Watervliet Hospital 0.6 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income$61K median household income; 402 jobs based hereCOpen →Cost of livingB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 9.6% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SafetyCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailA−Open →HistoryB+Open →Civic life2.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market49 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 29.1; 9% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Watervliet: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watervliet, and how to reach them.
PowerMidwest Energy Cooperative19.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWatervlietNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Watervliet’s trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereWatervliet City ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code4909849098 100%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 Watervliet.
HealthD−
Residents of Watervliet are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns
Watervliet beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 19% of Watervliet adults report frequent physical distress, against 14% in Michigan’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 22% of Watervliet adults smoke cigarettes.
5%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Watervliet | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
0 better12 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Watervliet | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.5% | 10.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.8% | 8.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.5% | 6.9% |
Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital
0.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Watervliet’s schools trail 61% of Michigan districts
Its public schools are run by the Watervliet School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Watervliet Senior High School, with 360 students.
39%of MI districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 335 | – |
| Watervliet Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 360 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Watervliet
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Watervliet.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
8
paid flood claims since 1979
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Watervliet’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Watervliet for work: only 6% work in town. At 19 minutes, Watervliet’s average trip to work is where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Watervliet.
6%work in town
| Watervliet | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Watervliet6%
Benton Township14%
St. Joseph7%
Grand Rapids5%
Watervliet Township4%
14 mi
median commute distance
402
jobs based in Watervliet
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
SafetyC
Watervliet sees more crime per resident than 67% of U.S. towns
Watervliet’s violent crime rate is 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
33%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
| Watervliet | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Watervliet5.2
Michigan4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Watervliet7.6
Michigan13
U.S.15.5
33rd
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
9
violent crimes reported in 2025
13
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Watervliet
Watervliet has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 78 inches of snow falls in a winter.
78″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–35°
Spring37–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall43–62°
Oct 17
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B+
The typical home in Watervliet is valued at about $240K
The typical Watervliet home is worth about $240,000, up 8.8% in a year, 9% below the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Watervliet is $885 a month.
$240KZillow home value
| Watervliet | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $885 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Watervliet$240K
Michigan$264K
Market temperature
49
days on market
101.6%
sale-to-list price
+8.8%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4%conserved
| Watervliet | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
4%
conserved · 31 of 776 acres
0.7 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paw Paw River County Park | 0.7 mi | 17 |
| 2. Hayes Park | — | 16 |
| 3. Flaherty Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Watervliet
19pages on Watervliet
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 61% of MI districts · 5 schoolsSafetyC5.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthD−Better than MI on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$240K typical home · up 8.8% in a yearWork & commuteC$61K median household income · 402 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Watervliet
About 3 of every 100 Watervliet residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
About Watervliet
City in Michigan, United States
Watervliet is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the northeastern part of the county, the population was 1,669 at the 2020 census. Mostly a rural farming community. The city is surrounded by Watervliet Charter Township but is administered autonomously. “Watervliet” means “flowing water” in Dutch, coming from “water” and “vliet” "Vliet" is a Dutch word for a minor streaming water, though it may refer to a city canal or a river that connects such flows.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 646 ft
- ZIP code
- 49098
- Area code
- 269
Watervliet’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Watervliet.
Paw Paw LakeWatervliet
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watervliet | — | — | B+ | C | C+ | D− |
| Paw Paw Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Watervliet has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Paw Paw Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Watervliet with a neighbor →
Questions about Watervliet
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watervliet, MI expensive?
Not for the area. That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($65,425 across the Niles, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.