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%

China Township$2,320/mo

Typical home $392K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · Housing →

St. Clair$2,100/mo

Typical home $322K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.52% · or rent about $1,113/mo · Housing →

The difference: $230 a month, about $2,700 a year, between China Township and St. Clair.

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.

Where they are

China Township and St. Clair share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

China TownshipSt. Clair

China Township ↔ St. Clair5.1 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

73 China Township residents work in St. Clair (4.6% of its workers)

54 St. Clair residents work in China Township (2.3% of its workers)

Work & commute in China Township →

Report cards

St. Clair places higher on 11 of 19 MI lists

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

–China TownshipNot graded B+St. ClairSafer than 74% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+China TownshipBetter than 73% of districts in the state B+St. ClairBetter than 73% of districts in the state

Health

BChina TownshipHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns B+St. ClairHealthier than 65% of U.S. towns

4China Township

11St. Clair

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #682#129 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #590#225 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #137#457 Best schoolsSchools · 493 towns #334#163 Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #581#333 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #465#230 Most new homesHousing · 512 towns #148#8 Most educatedPeople · 723 towns #509#322

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

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

China TownshipSt. Clair

Snow a year36″36″

January low20°F 20°F

July high81°F 81°F

Growing season (days)196d 196d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th 20th

Outdoors & history

China TownshipSt. Clair

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land2.7%6.8%

Settled—1828

National Register places1 1

Community

China TownshipSt. Clair

Library hours a week—60 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

China TownshipSt. Clair

People

Population 3,502Lowest 5,585Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.2%Lowest MI: +2% -0.4%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 42.8±3.8Highest 6% above MI 42±6.7Lowest 4% above MI

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

Kids under 18 21.6%±5.9Lowest MI: 21.2% 23.7%±5.6Highest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 19.4%±4.6Lowest MI: 18.6% 20.2%±4.2Highest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.3%Lowest MI: 32.4% 27.4%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.2%±1Lowest MI: 6.1% 4.3%±2Highest MI: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $98,879±$25kHighest 36% above MI $69,688±$14kLowest 4% below MI

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $322,600±$24kHighest 39% above MI $223,200±$42kLowest 4% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,113±$137 about the MI average

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,663Lowest 8% below MI $3,397Highest 17% above MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±26.2Lowest MI: 50.4% 38.9%±22.9Highest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 3.7%Lowest MI: 13.2% 7.1%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 93.1%Highest MI: 73.2% 68.1%Lowest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1987Highest 15 yrs newer than MI 1959Lowest 13 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 23% above MI 22 minLowest 9% below MI

Work from home 9.1%±5.1Highest MI: 13.5% 7.6%±4.2Lowest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 5.5%Lowest 10.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.3 miLowest 27.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.46Highest 1.11Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Detroit (7%)Port Huron (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in St. Clair2% work in China Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.7%Lowest 6.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miHighest 0.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 4Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.6Lowest 62.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #334 of 493 in MI #163 of 493 in MI

School district East China School DistrictEast China School District

High school in town None in townNone 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.

China Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to China Township’s Town Square.

St. Clair neighborsTown Square →

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

Add a town

Set another town beside China Township and St. Clair

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

Bordering China Township

+ Compare

East China Township3,686 people · $276K homes

+ Compare

Casco Township4,180 people · $303K homes

+ Compare

St. Clair Township7,126 people · $335K homes

+ Compare

Marine City4,028 people · $160K homes

Towns like China Township

+ Compare

Danby Township2,975 people · $289K homes

+ Compare

Fillmore Township2,780 people · $314K homes

+ Compare

Leroy Township3,676 people · $245K homes

+ Compare

Sandstone Township3,902 people · $231K 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.

China Township vs St. Clair

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $230 more a month in China Township

China Township and St. Clair share a border

St. Clair places higher on 11 of 19 MI lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside China Township and St. Clair

Bordering China Township

Towns like China Township

Post to China Township

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