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Compare towns

Byron vs Parma

49 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (18 min in Parma) and jobs per worker (2.4× in Byron).

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Byron, MIA history townMichigan · 617 people
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Parma, MIA small town of 624Michigan · 624 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.

ByronA history town
HistorySettled in 182410 archive photos, postcards and papers Outdoors22.4% conserved land2.4 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Byron →
ParmaA small town of 624
Quiet strengthsParma doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Parma →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Average commute18 min
Parma has the shorter commute
Byron 39 minParma 21 min
Jobs per worker2.4×
Byron is more of a job hub
Byron 0.85Parma 0.35
Conserved land+21.9 pts
Byron has more conserved land
Byron 22.4%Parma 0.5%
Growth since 2010+7.6 pts
Parma has grown faster since 2010
Parma +1.4%Byron -6.2%
Property tax bill+24%
Tax bills are bigger in Parma
Parma $1,823Byron $1,476
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $820 more a month in Byron

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.

Byron$1,800/mo
Typical home $301K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $980/mo · Housing →
Parma$980/mo
Typical home $159K (Census) · tax rate 1.15% · or rent about $1,065/mo · Housing →

The difference: $820 a month, about $9,900 a year, between Byron and Parma.

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
ByronParma
Snow a year52″40″
January low16°F—
July high82°F—
Growing season (days)155d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)34th20th
Outdoors & history
ByronParma
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land22.4%—
Settled1824—
Archive photos10—
Famous people born here1—
Community
ByronParma
Library hours a week22 hrs20 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.

Where they are

49 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ByronMIParmaMI
Byron ↔ Parma49 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.

ByronParma
People
Population 617Lowest 624Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.2%Lowest MI: +2% +1.4%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 37.5±6.7Highest 7% below MI 35.3±10.9Lowest 12% below MI
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.1%±5.4Lowest MI: 21.2% 25.6%±4.1Highest MI: 21.2%
Parma and Byron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17%±4.8Highest MI: 18.6% 16.2%±0.7Lowest MI: 18.6%
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.1%Lowest MI: 32.4% 21.9%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.7%±4.7Highest MI: 6.1% 4.5%±3.3Lowest MI: 6.1%
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,958±$17kLowest 19% below MI $71,250±$4kHighest about the MI average
Parma and Byron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $165,400±$29kHighest 29% below MI $158,500±$38kLowest 32% below MI
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $980±$319Lowest 13% below MI $1,065±$125Highest 6% below MI
Parma and Byron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,476Lowest 49% below MI $1,823Highest 37% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.1%±40Highest MI: 50.4% 26%±26Lowest MI: 50.4%
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Lowest MI: 13.2% 16.4%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.5%Highest MI: 73.2% 78.5%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1952Lowest 20 yrs older than MI 1954Highest 18 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 39 minHighest 62% above MI 21 minLowest 12% below MI
Work from home 10.1%±5.5Highest MI: 13.5% 4%±3.2Lowest MI: 13.5%
Byron and Parma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.6%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 10.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Highest 0.35Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Burns Township (8%)Jackson (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ParmaFew work in Byron
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 22.4%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.5Lowest 37.3Highest
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.

Byron neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Byron’s Town Square.

Parma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parma’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Byron and Parma

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Towns like Byron

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Sheridan746 people · $166K homes
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Gilead Township708 people · $226K homes
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Ransom Township851 people · $171K 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.

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