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Compare towns

Clare vs Bad Axe

88 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+49% in Clare) and growth since 2010 (+7.9 pts in Clare).

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Clare, MIHomes around $228KMichigan · 3,324 people
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Bad Axe, MIHomes around $178KMichigan · 2,992 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.

ClareHomes around $228K
Housing$228K typical home14% below the MI typical home Work1,931 jobsbased in Clare, a regional job hub Outdoors#218 most walkable in MI1.2 miles of trails across 8 parks and preserves All about Clare →
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 →
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.

Property tax bill+49%
Tax bills are bigger in Clare
Clare $2,734Bad Axe $1,834
Growth since 2010+7.9 pts
Clare has grown faster since 2010
Clare +4.4%Bad Axe -3.5%
Average commute5 min
Bad Axe has the shorter commute
Clare 27 minBad Axe 22 min
Work in town+8.7 pts
More of Bad Axe’s workers stay in town
Bad Axe 25.3%Clare 16.6%
In college+8.4 pts
Clare is more of a college town
Clare 8.4%Bad Axe 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Clare

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.

Clare$1,580/mo
Typical home $228K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.03% · or rent about $822/mo · Housing →
Bad Axe$1,150/mo
Typical home $178K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.46% · or rent about $742/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Clare 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.

Report cards

Bad Axe places higher on 11 of 20 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
BClareSafer than 58% of U.S. towns B−Bad AxeSafer than 49% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−ClareBetter than 54% of districts in the state B−Bad AxeBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Health
DClareHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns DBad AxeHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns
7Clare
11Bad Axe

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 723 towns #640#27 Fastest growingGrowth · 723 towns #228#605 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #471#197 Lowest property taxCost of living · 723 towns #373#118 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #301#490 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 723 towns #529#640 Highest graduation rateSchools · 540 towns #367#448 Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #691#610

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Clare’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
ClareBad Axe
Snow a year49″43″
January low13°F13°F
July high82°F80°F
Growing season (days)148d152d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)14th7th
Outdoors & history
ClareBad Axe
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.6%3%
Settled18701870
National Register places2—
Archive photos—10
Famous people born here—6
Community
ClareBad Axe
Library hours a week46 hrs48 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

88 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ClareMIBad AxeMI
Clare ↔ Bad Axe88 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.

ClareBad Axe
People
Population 3,324Highest 2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.4%Highest MI: +2% -3.5%Lowest MI: +2%
Median age 43.9±4.7Lowest 9% above MI 48.6±5.8Highest 21% above MI
Bad Axe and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.2%±5.5Highest MI: 21.2% 16.7%±4.3Lowest MI: 21.2%
Clare and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.1%±5.4Lowest MI: 18.6% 26.4%±5.2Highest MI: 18.6%
Bad Axe and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.9%Lowest MI: 32.4% 22.1%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.4%±4Highest MI: 6.1% 0%±0.5Lowest MI: 6.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $41,226±$11kLowest 43% below MI $44,688±$11kHighest 39% below MI
Bad Axe and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $134,600±$31kHighest 42% below MI $125,200±$12kLowest 46% below MI
Clare and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $822±$64Highest 27% below MI $742±$86Lowest 34% below MI
Clare and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,734Highest 6% below MI $1,834Lowest 37% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 39.5%±16.5Lowest MI: 50.4% 51.7%±18.2Highest MI: 50.4%
Bad Axe and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.9%Lowest MI: 13.2% 20.2%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.3%Highest MI: 73.2% 57.4%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Highest 6 yrs older than MI 1961Lowest 11 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 10% above MI 22 minLowest 11% below MI
Work from home 11.5%±7.4Highest MI: 13.5% 8%±5.9Lowest MI: 13.5%
Clare and Bad Axe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 16.6%Lowest 25.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.72Lowest 2.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Mount Pleasant (10%)Colfax Township (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bad AxeFew work in Clare
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.6%Lowest 3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miHighest 0.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 40.4Lowest 52.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #295 of 493 in MI#283 of 493 in MI
School district Clare Public SchoolsBad Axe Public Schools
High school in town Clare High SchoolBad Axe High School
Students per teacherat that high school 19.0Highest 12.2Lowest
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.

Clare neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Clare’s Town Square.

Bad Axe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bad Axe’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Clare and Bad Axe

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

Bordering Clare

G
+ Compare
Grant Township3,416 people · $156K homes
V
+ Compare
Vernon Township1,271 people · $204K homes

Towns like Clare

+ Compare
Caro4,290 people · $103K homes
+ Compare
Cheboygan4,820 people · $123K homes
K
+ Compare
Kalkaska2,539 people · $156K homes
H
+ Compare
Hart1,924 people · $141K 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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