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Dickson Township vs Norman Township

Next-door neighbors in Manistee County. The biggest differences: average commute (7 min in Norman Township) and street grid (+62% in Norman Township).

D ×
Dickson Township, MIAn outdoors townManistee County · 922 people
N ×
Norman Township, MIAn outdoors townManistee County · 1,704 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.

Dickson TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors59.3% conserved land111 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves All about Dickson Township →
Norman TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors55.5% conserved land101 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves Health89% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Norman Township →
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 commute7 min
Norman Township has the shorter commute
Dickson Township 32 minNorman Township 25 min
Street grid+62%
Norman Township has the more walkable street grid
Norman Township 2.1Dickson Township 1.3
Jobs per worker+56%
Dickson Township is more of a job hub
Dickson Township 0.53Norman Township 0.34
Work in town+8.3 pts
More of Norman Township’s workers stay in town
Norman Township 11.6%Dickson Township 3.3%
★ What stands out · Where they are

Dickson Township and Norman Township share a border

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

Dickson TownshipNorman TownshipDickson TownshipNorman Township
Dickson Township ↔ Norman Township6.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
10 Norman Township residents work in Dickson Township (2.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Norman Township →
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.

Dickson Township$950/mo
Typical home $157K (Census) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $1,625/mo · Housing →
Norman Township$940/mo
Typical home $157K (Census) · tax rate 0.90% · or rent about $859/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.

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.

Schools
C+Dickson TownshipBetter than 38% of districts in the state –Norman TownshipNot graded
Health
–Dickson TownshipNot graded DNorman TownshipHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns
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
Dickson TownshipNorman Township
Snow a year93″93″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd21st
Outdoors & history
Dickson TownshipNorman Township
Trails111 mi101 mi
Conserved land59.3%55.5%
Community
Dickson TownshipNorman Township
Library hours a week—25 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.

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.

Dickson TownshipNorman Township
People
Population 922Lowest 1,704Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.3%Lowest MI: +2% +0.9%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 48.9±6.6Highest 22% above MI 48±5.7Lowest 19% above MI
Dickson Township and Norman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22%±5.2Highest MI: 21.2% 17.4%±4.2Lowest MI: 21.2%
Dickson Township and Norman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.1%±1.8Highest MI: 18.6% 22.7%±0.8Lowest MI: 18.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.7%Lowest MI: 32.4% 25%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±1.7Lowest MI: 6.1% 1.9%±1.4Highest MI: 6.1%
Norman Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $55,781±$13kLowest 23% below MI $63,634±$4kHighest 13% below MI
Norman Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $157,400±$9kHighest 32% below MI $156,900±$8kLowest 32% below MI
Dickson Township and Norman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,625±$997Highest 44% above MI $859±$34Lowest 24% below MI
Dickson Township and Norman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,525Highest 47% below MI $1,408Lowest 52% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 66.7%±28.2Highest MI: 50.4% 30.6%±22.9Lowest MI: 50.4%
Dickson Township and Norman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.8%Highest MI: 13.2% 10.4%Lowest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 91.3%Highest MI: 73.2% 90.7%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 3 yrs newer than MI 1979Highest 7 yrs newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 31% above MI 25 minLowest about the MI average
Work from home 8.2%±5Lowest MI: 13.5% 19.9%±8.5Highest MI: 13.5%
Norman Township and Dickson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.3%Lowest 11.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miHighest 21.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.53Highest 0.34Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Manistee Township (23%)Manistee Township (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Norman Township2% work in Dickson Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 59.3%Highest 55.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 111.0 miHighest 100.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 1.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6 6
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Lowest 2.1Highest
Schools
School district Kaleva Norman Dickson School District—
High school in town Brethren High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 16.9 —
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.

Dickson Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dickson Township’s Town Square.

Norman Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Norman Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Dickson Township

S
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Slagle Township521 people · $147K homes
B
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Brown Township580 people · $239K homes
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Maple Grove Township1,555 people · $117K homes
M
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Marilla Township482 people · $224K homes

Towns like Dickson Township

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Jordan Township907 people · $206K homes
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Allis Township973 people · $140K homes
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Springdale Township794 people · $172K homes
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+ Compare
Litchfield Township873 people · $199K 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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