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.

Schools

ABowne TownshipBetter than 94% of districts in the state –Irving TownshipNot graded

Health

ABowne TownshipHealthier than 89% of U.S. towns BIrving TownshipHealthier than 63% of U.S. towns

10Bowne Township

7Irving Township

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Cheapest rentCost of living · 687 towns #686#120 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #581#53 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #41#366 Most trailsOutdoors · 601 towns #527#315 Fewest smokersHealth · 723 towns #55#307 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #106#344 Most activeHealth · 723 towns #34#237 HealthiestHealth · 723 towns #55#248

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Bowne Township’s rankings →

Where they are

Bowne Township and Irving Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bowne TownshipIrving Township

Bowne Township ↔ Irving Township7.0 miles apart · They share a border

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Down paymentRate%

Bowne Township$2,180/mo

Typical home $361K (Census) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $3,033/mo · Housing →

Irving Township$2,210/mo

Typical home $366K (Census) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $834/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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

What daily life feels like in each

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

Bowne TownshipIrving Township

Snow a year66″68″

January low—16°F

July high—82°F

Growing season (days)—158d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)23rd 29th

Outdoors & history

Bowne TownshipIrving Township

Trails3 mi 15 mi

Conserved land1.4%17.8%

Community

Bowne TownshipIrving Township

Library hours a week37 hrs 30 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

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.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

Bowne TownshipIrving Township

People

Population 3,308Lowest 3,807Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.6%Lowest MI: +2% +14.9%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 37.6±5.6Highest 6% below MI 34.3±3.5Lowest 15% below MI

Bowne Township and Irving Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 28.1%±5.8Lowest MI: 21.2% 35.4%±7.4Highest MI: 21.2%

Irving Township and Bowne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 9.9%±2.1Lowest MI: 18.6% 12.8%±3.7Highest MI: 18.6%

Irving Township and Bowne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.3%Highest MI: 32.4% 32.2%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5%±2.5Highest MI: 6.1% 1.7%±1.6Lowest MI: 6.1%

Bowne Township and Irving Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $120,859±$10kHighest 66% above MI $76,367±$24kLowest 5% above MI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $360,500±$14kLowest 56% above MI $365,800±$39kHighest 58% above MI

Irving Township and Bowne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,033±$344Highest 169% above MI $834±$62Lowest 26% below MI

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,522Highest 21% above MI $3,492Lowest 20% above MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 28.6%±77.1Highest MI: 50.4% 14.6%±47.6Lowest MI: 50.4%

Bowne Township and Irving Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 0.8%Lowest MI: 13.2% 2.4%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 96.8% MI: 73.2% 96.8% MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1987Lowest 15 yrs newer than MI 1997Highest 25 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 8% above MI 27 minHighest 12% above MI

Work from home 11.6%±3.6Lowest MI: 13.5% 15.1%±6.6Highest MI: 13.5%

Irving Township and Bowne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 3.6%Highest 2.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 17.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.34Highest 0.19Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (18%)Grand Rapids (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Irving TownshipFew work in Bowne Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Lowest 17.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 2.8 miLowest 14.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.6Lowest 4.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 493 in MI—

School district Lowell Area Schools—

High school in town None in town—

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.

Bowne Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bowne Township’s Town Square.

Irving Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Irving Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Bowne Township

+ Compare

Caledonia Township16,485 people · $383K homes

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Campbell Township2,372 people · $245K homes

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Lowell Township6,338 people · $322K homes

Towns like Bowne Township

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Richmond Township3,577 people · $379K homes

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Heath Township3,966 people · $332K homes

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Saline Township2,375 people · $310K homes

+ Compare

Vevay Township3,616 people · $269K homes

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.

Bowne Township vs Irving Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

Bowne Township places higher on 10 of 18 MI lists

Bowne Township and Irving Township share a border

A typical home costs about the same each month

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Bowne Township and Irving Township

Bordering Bowne Township

Towns like Bowne Township

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