Skip to content

TownTapestry

Find a town

Guest, Sign inJoin

Compare towns

Emerson Township vs Ithaca

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (12.2× in Ithaca) and jobs per worker (4.3× in Ithaca).

E ×

Emerson Township, MIA small town of 751Gratiot County · 751 people

×

Ithaca, MIHomes around $199KMichigan · 2,817 people

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.

Emerson TownshipA small town of 751

Quiet strengthsEmerson Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.

All about Emerson Township →

IthacaHomes around $199K

Housing$199K typical home25% below the MI typical home Schools#243 for schools in MIof 493 towns Health71% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ithaca →

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

Street grid12.2×

Ithaca has the more walkable street grid

Ithaca 23.2Emerson Township 1.9

Jobs per worker4.3×

Ithaca is more of a job hub

Ithaca 1.58Emerson Township 0.37

Home values+38%

Homes cost more in Emerson Township

Emerson Township $183,700Ithaca $133,200

Emerson Township has more miles of trail

Emerson Township 0.5 miIthaca 0.2 mi

Ithaca is the bigger place

Ithaca 2,817Emerson Township 751

Work from home+9.9 pts

More people work from home in Emerson Township

Emerson Township 10.6%Ithaca 0.7%

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Ithaca

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%

Emerson Township$1,110/mo

Typical home $184K (Census) · tax rate 0.96% · or rent about $825/mo · Housing →

Ithaca$1,290/mo

Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $819/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,100 a year, between Ithaca and Emerson Township.

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

Emerson Township and Ithaca share a border

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

Emerson TownshipIthaca

Emerson Township ↔ Ithaca4.4 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

25 Emerson Township residents work in Ithaca (6.8% of its workers)

Work & commute in Emerson Township →

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

–Emerson TownshipNot graded B+IthacaBetter than 72% of districts in the state

Health

–Emerson TownshipNot graded CIthacaHealthier than 29% 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

Emerson TownshipIthaca

Snow a year39″39″

January low15°F 15°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)164d 164d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th 27th

Outdoors & history

Emerson TownshipIthaca

Conserved land—4.5%

Settled—1869

National Register places—2

Archive photos—7

Famous people born here—7

Community

Emerson TownshipIthaca

Library hours a week—43 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

Emerson TownshipIthaca

People

Population 751Lowest 2,817Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -10.8%Lowest MI: +2% -2%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 47.2±5Highest 17% above MI 42.5±10.6Lowest 6% above MI

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

Kids under 18 16.9%±4Highest MI: 21.2% 16.8%±4.6Lowest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 22.2%±3.2Highest MI: 18.6% 15.3%±3.8Lowest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.4%Lowest MI: 32.4% 26.3%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±1.8Lowest MI: 6.1% 7.8%±4.2Highest MI: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $78,000±$13kHighest 7% above MI $63,109±$5kLowest 13% below MI

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $183,700±$22kHighest 21% below MI $133,200±$26kLowest 42% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $825±$222Highest 27% below MI $819±$89Lowest 27% below MI

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,771Lowest 39% below MI $1,975Highest 32% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 15.8%±100Lowest MI: 50.4% 46.7%±18.4Highest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 6.5%Lowest MI: 13.2% 16.8%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 88.4%Highest MI: 73.2% 72.3%Lowest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1958 14 yrs older than MI 1958 14 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 25 minHighest about the MI average 24 minLowest about the MI average

Work from home 10.6%±4.5Highest MI: 13.5% 0.7%±0.8Lowest MI: 13.5%

Work in townworking residents 1.6%Lowest 19.1%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miHighest 18.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.37Lowest 1.58Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Alma (17%)Alma (10%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in IthacaFew work in Emerson Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 4.5%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.9Lowest 23.2Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#243 of 493 in MI

School district —Ithaca Public Schools

High school in town —Ithaca High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 18.6

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.

Emerson Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Emerson Township’s Town Square.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Emerson Township and Ithaca

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

Bordering Emerson Township

Bethany Township1,162 people · $172K homes

Lafayette Township573 people · $164K homes

Arcada Township1,684 people · $219K homes

North Star Township867 people · $184K homes

Towns like Emerson Township

Norwich Township712 people · $170K homes

Grant Township746 people · $183K homes

Litchfield Township873 people · $199K homes

Jordan Township907 people · $206K 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.