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%

Howard Township$1,210/mo

Typical home $200K (Census) · tax rate 0.98% · Housing →

Niles$1,330/mo

Typical home $216K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $855/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Niles and Howard 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

Howard Township and Niles share a border

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

Howard TownshipNiles

Howard Township ↔ Niles4.4 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

287 Howard Township residents work in Niles (11.1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Howard Township →

Report cards

Howard Township places higher on 12 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

–Howard TownshipNot graded C−NilesSafer than 23% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−Howard TownshipBetter than 45% of districts in the state B−NilesBetter than 45% of districts in the state

Health

CHoward TownshipHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns C−NilesHealthier than 17% of U.S. towns

12Howard Township

6Niles

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

Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #703#271 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #330#657 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #406#90 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #360#623 Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #233#439 Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #269#75 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #411#602 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #426#261

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Howard 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

Howard TownshipNiles

Snow a year63″63″

January low19°F 19°F

July high83°F 83°F

Growing season (days)180d 180d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)24th 19th

Outdoors & history

Howard TownshipNiles

Trails0 mi 0 mi

Conserved land0.1%5.8%

Settled—1827

National Register places1 7

Archive photos1 18

Famous people born here—28

Community

Howard TownshipNiles

Library hours a week40 hrs 59 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

Howard TownshipNiles

People

Population 6,278Lowest 11,803Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.1%Lowest MI: +2% +3.3%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 50.7±2.5Highest 26% above MI 39.2±2.4Lowest about the MI average

Kids under 18 17.5%±3.8Lowest MI: 21.2% 21.4%±3.2Highest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 25.1%±4.4Highest MI: 18.6% 20.6%±2.7Lowest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.2%Highest MI: 32.4% 17%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±2.4Highest MI: 6.1% 2.3%±1Lowest MI: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $79,226±$10kHighest 9% above MI $51,376±$4kLowest 30% below MI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $200,000±$25kHighest 14% below MI $135,100±$12kLowest 42% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly — $855±$34 24% below MI

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,967Highest 32% below MI $1,517Lowest 48% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51%±23.7Highest MI: 50.4% 42.8%±8.5Lowest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 5.7%Lowest MI: 13.2% 17.8%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 91.3%Highest MI: 73.2% 63.2%Lowest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 1 yr older than MI 1955Lowest 17 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 6% above MI 23 minLowest 6% below MI

Work from home 10.1%±4Highest MI: 13.5% 5.1%±2.5Lowest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 3.4%Lowest 12.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miHighest 11.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.17Lowest 0.98Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Niles (11%)South Bend (12%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 11% work in NilesFew work in Howard Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 5.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 19Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 7.0Lowest 79.1Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #278 of 493 in MI #286 of 493 in MI

School district Niles Community SchoolsNiles Community Schools

High school in town None in townNiles Senior High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 20.4

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.

Howard Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Howard Township’s Town Square.

Niles neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Niles’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Howard Township and Niles

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

Bordering Howard Township

+ Compare

Jefferson Township2,578 people · $269K homes

+ Compare

Milton Township3,140 people · $300K homes

+ Compare

Pokagon Township2,157 people · $218K homes

+ Compare

Niles Township14,328 people · $173K homes

Towns like Howard Township

+ Compare

Clyde Township5,468 people · $236K homes

+ Compare

Montrose Township5,958 people · $186K homes

+ Compare

Elba Township5,244 people · $261K homes

+ Compare

Manistee Township4,053 people · $194K 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.

Howard Township vs Niles

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Howard Township and Niles share a border

Howard Township places higher on 12 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 Howard Township and Niles

Bordering Howard Township

Towns like Howard Township

Post to Howard Township

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