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Parma Township vs Sandstone Township

Next-door neighbors in Jackson County. The biggest differences: trails (9× in Parma Township) and jobs per worker (4.3× in Sandstone Township).

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Parma Township, MIHomes around $258KJackson County · 2,651 people
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Sandstone Township, MIOne of the healthiest townsJackson County · 3,902 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.

Parma TownshipHomes around $258K
Housing$258K typical home3% below the MI typical home Health78% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Parma Township →
Sandstone TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health62% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Sandstone 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.

Trails9×
Parma Township has more miles of trail
Parma Township 5.4 miSandstone Township 0.6 mi
Jobs per worker4.3×
Sandstone Township is more of a job hub
Sandstone Township 1.12Parma Township 0.26
Property tax bill+43%
Tax bills are bigger in Sandstone Township
Sandstone Township $3,266Parma Township $2,277
Homeowners+13.4 pts renters
Parma Township has more renters
Sandstone Township 92%Parma Township 78.6%
★ What stands out · 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.

Parma Township$1,600/mo
Typical home $258K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $869/mo · Housing →
Sandstone Township$1,480/mo
Typical home $231K (Census) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $867/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Parma Township and Sandstone 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.

Report cards

Sandstone Township places higher on 10 of 18 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.

Schools
–Parma TownshipNot graded B−Sandstone TownshipBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Health
C−Parma TownshipHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns C+Sandstone TownshipHealthier than 38% of U.S. towns
7Parma Township
10Sandstone Township

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest property taxCost of living · 723 towns #230#515 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #406#145 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 723 towns #529#353 HealthiestHealth · 723 towns #611#444 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 723 towns #350#507 Most activeHealth · 723 towns #556#411 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #303#433 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #602#478

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Parma Township’s rankings →

Where they are

Parma Township and Sandstone Township share a border

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

Parma TownshipSandstone TownshipParma TownshipSandstone Township
Parma Township ↔ Sandstone Township6.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
52 Parma Township residents work in Sandstone Township (5.2% of its workers)
19 Sandstone Township residents work in Parma Township (1.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Parma Township →
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
Parma TownshipSandstone Township
Snow a year40″40″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)20th20th
Outdoors & history
Parma TownshipSandstone Township
Trails5 mi—
Conserved land1.8%—
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here21
Community
Parma TownshipSandstone Township
Library hours a week20 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.

Parma TownshipSandstone Township
People
Population 2,651Lowest 3,902Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.1%Lowest MI: +2% -1.4%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 36.6±4.3Lowest 9% below MI 41.9±7.3Highest 4% above MI
Sandstone Township and Parma Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.9%±7.2Highest MI: 21.2% 25.8%±9.3Lowest MI: 21.2%
Parma Township and Sandstone Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.4%±3.4Lowest MI: 18.6% 20.2%±6.7Highest MI: 18.6%
Sandstone Township and Parma Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Highest MI: 32.4% 22.9%Lowest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.9%±3Highest MI: 6.1% 2.9%±1.9Lowest MI: 6.1%
Parma Township and Sandstone Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,590±$8kLowest about the MI average $97,708±$28kHighest 34% above MI
Sandstone Township and Parma Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $195,000±$17kLowest 16% below MI $230,600±$31kHighest about the MI average
Sandstone Township and Parma Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $869±$166Highest 23% below MI $867±$175Lowest 23% below MI
Parma Township and Sandstone Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,277Lowest 22% below MI $3,266Highest 12% above MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40%±30.1Highest MI: 50.4% 28.7%±18.8Lowest MI: 50.4%
Parma Township and Sandstone Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16%Highest MI: 13.2% 4.9%Lowest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.6%Lowest MI: 73.2% 92%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest same as MI 1975Highest 3 yrs newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest about the MI average 26 minHighest 7% above MI
Work from home 7.9%±5.5Lowest MI: 13.5% 8.3%±4.6Highest MI: 13.5%
Sandstone Township and Parma Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.8%Lowest 5.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.26Lowest 1.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Jackson (20%)Jackson (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Sandstone Township1% work in Parma Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 5.4 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.0Lowest 3.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#260 of 493 in MI
School district —Western School District
High school in town —None in town
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.

Parma Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parma Township’s Town Square.

Sandstone Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sandstone Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Parma Township

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Springport Township1,894 people · $144K homes
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Sheridan Township2,124 people · $159K homes
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Concord Township2,739 people · $188K homes

Towns like Parma Township

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Montague2,531 people · $202K homes
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Mattawan2,692 people · $182K homes
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Hazelton Township2,311 people · $225K homes
+ Compare
Coldwater Township3,829 people · $169K 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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