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Bad Axe vs St. Ignace

167 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (5.8× in St. Ignace) and household income (+45% in St. Ignace).

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Bad Axe, MIHomes around $178KMichigan · 2,992 people
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St. Ignace, MIA colonial town, settled 1671Michigan · 2,463 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Bad AxeHomes around $178K
Housing$178K typical home33% below the MI typical home Health89% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Outdoors#172 most walkable in MI0.9 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Bad Axe →
St. IgnaceA colonial town, settled 1671
HistorySettled in 16711 place on the National Register Health91% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about St. Ignace →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails5.8×
St. Ignace has more miles of trail
St. Ignace 5.2 miBad Axe 0.9 mi
Household income+45%
Households in St. Ignace earn more
St. Ignace $64,663Bad Axe $44,688
Average commute10 min
Bad Axe has the shorter commute
St. Ignace 31 minBad Axe 22 min
Property tax bill+26%
Tax bills are bigger in St. Ignace
St. Ignace $2,306Bad Axe $1,834
Jobs per worker+67%
Bad Axe is more of a job hub
Bad Axe 2.12St. Ignace 1.27
Work in town+9.9 pts
More of St. Ignace’s workers stay in town
St. Ignace 35.2%Bad Axe 25.3%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $500 more a month in St. Ignace

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bad Axe$1,150/mo
Typical home $178K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.46% · or rent about $742/mo · Housing →
St. Ignace$1,650/mo
Typical home $247K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.74% · or rent about $607/mo · Housing →

The difference: $500 a month, about $6,100 a year, between St. Ignace and Bad Axe.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

St. Ignace gets 38 more inches of snow a year

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Bad AxeSt. Ignace
Snow a year43″81″
January low13°F7°F
July high80°F77°F
Growing season (days)152d130d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)7th1st
Outdoors & history
Bad AxeSt. Ignace
Trails1 mi5 mi
Conserved land3%7.2%
Settled18701671
National Register places—1
Archive photos10—
Famous people born here6—
Community
Bad AxeSt. Ignace
Library hours a week48 hrs42 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
B−Bad AxeSafer than 49% of U.S. towns –St. IgnaceNot graded
Schools
B−Bad AxeBetter than 48% of districts in the state BSt. IgnaceBetter than 58% of districts in the state
Health
DBad AxeHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns DSt. IgnaceHealthier than 9% of U.S. towns
Where they are

167 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bad AxeMISt. IgnaceMI
Bad Axe ↔ St. Ignace167 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Bad AxeSt. Ignace
People
Population 2,992Highest 2,463Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.5%Highest MI: +2% -6%Lowest MI: +2%
Median age 48.6±5.8Lowest 21% above MI 48.8±3.3Highest 21% above MI
St. Ignace and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.7%±4.3Highest MI: 21.2% 13.8%±2.7Lowest MI: 21.2%
Bad Axe and St. Ignace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.4%±5.2Highest MI: 18.6% 22.3%±2.9Lowest MI: 18.6%
Bad Axe and St. Ignace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.1%Highest MI: 32.4% 18.1%Lowest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±0.5Lowest MI: 6.1% 0.9%±1Highest MI: 6.1%
St. Ignace and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $44,688±$11kLowest 39% below MI $64,663±$9kHighest 11% below MI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $125,200±$12kLowest 46% below MI $132,200±$37kHighest 43% below MI
St. Ignace and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $742±$86Highest 34% below MI $607±$53Lowest 46% below MI
Bad Axe and St. Ignace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,834Lowest 37% below MI $2,306Highest 21% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.7%±18.2Highest MI: 50.4% 49.2%±11.5Lowest MI: 50.4%
Bad Axe and St. Ignace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.2%Lowest MI: 13.2% 24.6%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 57.4%Lowest MI: 73.2% 64.5%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 11 yrs older than MI 1965Highest 7 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 11% below MI 31 minHighest 29% above MI
Work from home 8%±5.9Highest MI: 13.5% 7.1%±3.6Lowest MI: 13.5%
Bad Axe and St. Ignace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 25.3%Lowest 35.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 5.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.12Highest 1.27Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Colfax Township (11%)Sault Ste. Marie (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in St. IgnaceFew work in Bad Axe
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Lowest 7.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miLowest 5.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 8Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 52.9Lowest 58.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #283 of 493 in MI—
School district Bad Axe Public Schools—
High school in town Bad Axe High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 12.2 —
Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bad Axe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bad Axe’s Town Square.

St. Ignace neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to St. Ignace’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bad Axe and St. Ignace

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Bad Axe

C
+ Compare
Colfax Township1,834 people · $160K homes
V
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Verona Township1,154 people · $224K homes

Towns like Bad Axe

C
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Clio2,185 people · $138K homes
C
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Clare3,324 people · $135K homes
G
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Gladwin3,098 people · $127K homes
L
+ Compare
LaGrange Township3,751 people · $120K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Michigan towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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