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Jackson vs Vandercook Lake

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (52× in Jackson) and jobs per worker (4.8× in Jackson).

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Jackson, MIA history townMichigan · 31,058 people
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Vandercook Lake, MIA town of 4,375Michigan · 4,375 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.

JacksonA history town
HistorySettled in 182915 places on the National Register Famous people69 notable peopleborn in Jackson Housing$192K typical home28% below the MI typical home All about Jackson →
Vandercook LakeA town of 4,375
Quiet strengthsVandercook Lake doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Vandercook Lake →
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.

Trails52×
Jackson has more miles of trail
Jackson 15.6 miVandercook Lake 0.3 mi
Jobs per worker4.8×
Jackson is more of a job hub
Jackson 2.27Vandercook Lake 0.47
Size7.1×
Jackson is the bigger place
Jackson 31,058Vandercook Lake 4,375
Homeowners+38.1 pts renters
Jackson has more renters
Vandercook Lake 92.8%Jackson 54.7%
Work in town+26.8 pts
More of Jackson’s workers stay in town
Jackson 29.6%Vandercook Lake 2.8%
Street grid2.2×
Jackson has the more walkable street grid
Jackson 96.2Vandercook Lake 43.8
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Jackson

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.

Jackson$1,280/mo
Typical home $192K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.70% · or rent about $898/mo · Housing →
Vandercook Lake$870/mo
Typical home $137K (Census) · tax rate 1.37% · or rent about $1,141/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Jackson and Vandercook Lake.

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

Jackson and Vandercook Lake share a border

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

JacksonVandercook LakeJacksonVandercook Lake
Jackson ↔ Vandercook Lake3.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
440 Vandercook Lake residents work in Jackson (24.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Vandercook Lake →
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.

Safety
D−JacksonSafer than 3% of U.S. towns –Vandercook LakeNot graded
Schools
CJacksonBetter than 25% of districts in the state –Vandercook LakeNot graded
Health
D−JacksonHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns –Vandercook LakeNot graded
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
JacksonVandercook Lake
Snow a year33″44″
January low16°F15°F
July high82°F83°F
Growing season (days)163d161d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)28th20th
Outdoors & history
JacksonVandercook Lake
Trails16 mi0 mi
Conserved land10.2%1.1%
Settled1829—
National Register places15—
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here69—
Community
JacksonVandercook Lake
Library hours a week63 hrs49 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.

JacksonVandercook Lake
People
Population 31,058Highest 4,375Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.6%Lowest MI: +2% -3%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 35.3±1.7Lowest 12% below MI 42.4±3.1Highest 5% above MI
Kids under 18 23.9%±1.9Highest MI: 21.2% 15.5%±3.6Lowest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 13.3%±1.2Lowest MI: 18.6% 20.2%±2.7Highest MI: 18.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.1%Lowest MI: 32.4% 18.7%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±0.9Highest MI: 6.1% 3.5%±1.5Lowest MI: 6.1%
Jackson and Vandercook Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $44,558±$2kLowest 39% below MI $59,262±$11kHighest 19% below MI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $103,200±$7kLowest 55% below MI $136,600±$26kHighest 41% below MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $898±$47Lowest 20% below MI $1,141±$43Highest about the MI average
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,753Lowest 40% below MI $1,865Highest 36% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55%±5.8Highest MI: 50.4% 16.7%±22.7Lowest MI: 50.4%
Below poverty line 24.6%Highest MI: 13.2% 7%Lowest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.7%Lowest MI: 73.2% 92.8%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 34 yrs older than MI 1958Highest 14 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 30% below MI 20 minHighest 16% below MI
Work from home 9%±1.7Highest MI: 13.5% 3.6%±2.7Lowest MI: 13.5%
Work in townworking residents 29.6%Highest 2.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.3 miLowest 6.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.27Highest 0.47Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Blackman Township (12%)Jackson (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Vandercook Lake25% work in Jackson
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.2%Highest 1.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 15.6 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 20Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 96.2Highest 43.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #424 of 493 in MI—
School district Jackson Public Schools · Jackson ISD—
High school in town Jackson High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 17.3 —
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.

Jackson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jackson’s Town Square.

Vandercook Lake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vandercook Lake’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Jackson and Vandercook Lake

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

Bordering Jackson

S
+ Compare
Summit Township22,817 people · $197K homes
L
+ Compare
Leoni Township13,794 people · $196K homes
B
+ Compare
Blackman Township25,605 people · $169K homes

Towns like Jackson

+ Compare
Muskegon37,226 people · $142K homes
A
+ Compare
Adrian20,395 people · $138K homes
+ Compare
Inkster25,428 people · $80K homes
P
+ Compare
Port Huron28,620 people · $149K 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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