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%

Newaygo$1,880/mo

Typical home $280K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $1,040/mo · Housing →

Brooks Township$1,480/mo

Typical home $244K (Census) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,167/mo · Housing →

The difference: $400 a month, about $4,800 a year, between Newaygo and Brooks 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

Newaygo and Brooks Township share a border

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

NewaygoBrooks Township

Newaygo ↔ Brooks Township3.6 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

139 Brooks Township residents work in Newaygo (9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Brooks Township →

Report cards

Newaygo places higher on 11 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

C−NewaygoSafer than 23% of U.S. towns –Brooks TownshipNot graded

Schools

BNewaygoBetter than 62% of districts in the state –Brooks TownshipNot graded

Health

C+NewaygoHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns CBrooks TownshipHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns

11Newaygo

7Brooks Township

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

Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #36#414 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #709#348 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #682#340 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #248#534 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #252#32 Most educatedPeople · 723 towns #703#481 Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #439#233 Most trailsOutdoors · 601 towns #346#191

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

NewaygoBrooks Township

Snow a year48″64″

January low14°F —

July high83°F —

Growing season (days)135d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)31st 31st

Outdoors & history

NewaygoBrooks Township

Trails1 mi 27 mi

Conserved land6.3%23.2%

Settled1847 —

Archive photos18 —

Famous people born here3 —

Community

NewaygoBrooks Township

Library hours a week41 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

NewaygoBrooks Township

People

Population 2,512Lowest 3,771Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +25.1%Highest MI: +2% +5.6%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 31±4Lowest 23% below MI 45.4±5.9Highest 13% above MI

Kids under 18 31.2%±6.7Highest MI: 21.2% 17.7%±3.9Lowest MI: 21.2%

Age 65+ 16.6%±3.7Lowest MI: 18.6% 19.6%±4.3Highest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.5%Lowest MI: 32.4% 21.6%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.7%±1.7Highest MI: 6.1% 1.6%±1.3Lowest MI: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $40,689±$5kLowest 44% below MI $77,734±$17kHighest 7% above MI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $115,200±$28kLowest 50% below MI $244,100±$43kHighest 5% above MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,040±$108Lowest 8% below MI $1,167±$567Highest 3% above MI

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,029Lowest 30% below MI $2,426Highest 16% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.2%±8.6Highest MI: 50.4% 56.2%±41.2Lowest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 19.9%Highest MI: 13.2% 7.7%Lowest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.3%Lowest MI: 73.2% 92.1%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1970Lowest 2 yrs older than MI 1976Highest 4 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 14% above MI 34 minHighest 42% above MI

Work from home 3.3%±2.3Lowest MI: 13.5% 10.5%±4.9Highest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 13.4%Highest 1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miLowest 28.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.01Highest 0.14Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (11%)Grand Rapids (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Brooks Township9% work in Newaygo

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6.3%Lowest 23.2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.3 miLowest 27.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.8 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 7Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 31.3Highest 4.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #323 of 493 in MI—

School district Newaygo Public School District—

High school in town Newaygo High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 18.9 —

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.

Newaygo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Newaygo’s Town Square.

Brooks Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brooks Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Newaygo and Brooks Township

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

Bordering Newaygo

+ Compare

Garfield Township2,543 people · $251K homes

Towns like Newaygo

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Montrose2,027 people · $113K homes

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Bangor2,129 people · $111K homes

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Covert Township2,502 people · $158K homes

+ Compare

Hartford2,458 people · $109K 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.

Newaygo vs Brooks Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $400 more a month in Newaygo

Newaygo and Brooks Township share a border

Newaygo places higher on 11 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 Newaygo and Brooks Township

Bordering Newaygo

Towns like Newaygo

Post to Newaygo

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