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Redding Township vs Freeman Township

Next-door neighbors in Clare County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5.7× in Redding Township) and street grid (2.5× in Freeman Township).

R ×
Redding Township, MIA small town of 409Clare County · 409 people
F ×
Freeman Township, MIOne of the healthiest townsClare County · 1,431 people
Swap order
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.

Redding TownshipA small town of 409
Quiet strengthsRedding Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Redding Township →
Freeman TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health84% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Freeman Township →
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.

Jobs per worker5.7×
Redding Township is more of a job hub
Redding Township 0.40Freeman Township 0.07
Street grid2.5×
Freeman Township has the more walkable street grid
Freeman Township 3.7Redding Township 1.5
Property tax bill+51%
Tax bills are bigger in Freeman Township
Freeman Township $1,438Redding Township $950
Size3.5×
Freeman Township is the bigger place
Freeman Township 1,431Redding Township 409
Growth since 2010+9.9 pts
Freeman Township has grown faster since 2010
Freeman Township -2.8%Redding Township -12.7%
Average commute5 min
Redding Township has the shorter commute
Freeman Township 36 minRedding Township 31 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Freeman Township

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.

Redding Township$520/mo
Typical home $85K (Census) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $667/mo · Housing →
Freeman Township$910/mo
Typical home $151K (Census) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $827/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Freeman Township and Redding 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

Redding Township and Freeman Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Redding TownshipFreeman TownshipRedding TownshipFreeman Township
Redding Township ↔ Freeman Township4.9 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Health
–Redding TownshipNot graded C−Freeman TownshipHealthier than 16% 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
Redding TownshipFreeman Township
Snow a year66″—
January low11°F—
July high82°F—
Growing season (days)106d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)17th17th
Outdoors & history
Redding TownshipFreeman Township
Trails48 mi41 mi
Conserved land1.7%10.6%
Archive photos—2
Community
Redding TownshipFreeman Township
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.

Redding TownshipFreeman Township
People
Population 409Lowest 1,431Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -12.7%Lowest MI: +2% -2.8%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 54.7±5.5Highest 36% above MI 54±5Lowest 34% above MI
Redding Township and Freeman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 13.2%±5.2Lowest MI: 21.2% 17.1%±3.5Highest MI: 21.2%
Freeman Township and Redding Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 32.8%±1.3Highest MI: 18.6% 28.7%±6.3Lowest MI: 18.6%
Redding Township and Freeman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 1.8%Lowest MI: 32.4% 11.2%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.6%±4.4Highest MI: 6.1% 1.3%±1.3Lowest MI: 6.1%
Redding Township and Freeman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $37,500±$14kLowest 49% below MI $54,063±$7kHighest 26% below MI
Freeman Township and Redding Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $85,000±$59kLowest 63% below MI $150,600±$17kHighest 35% below MI
Freeman Township and Redding Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $667±$172Lowest 41% below MI $827±$55Highest 27% below MI
Freeman Township and Redding Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $950Lowest 67% below MI $1,438Highest 50% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.5%±100Highest MI: 50.4% 27.3%±76.8Lowest MI: 50.4%
Redding Township and Freeman Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 27.4%Highest MI: 13.2% 9.9%Lowest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 92.6%Lowest MI: 73.2% 95.7%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 4 yrs newer than MI 1991Highest 19 yrs newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minLowest 28% above MI 36 minHighest 50% above MI
Work from home 12.6%±8.7Lowest MI: 13.5% 16%±7.4Highest MI: 13.5%
Freeman Township and Redding 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 1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.8 miHighest 31.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.40Highest 0.07Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Clare (9%)Clare (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Freeman TownshipFew work in Redding Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.7%Lowest 10.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 47.5 miHighest 41.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miHighest 1.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.5Lowest 3.7Highest
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.

Redding Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Redding Township’s Town Square.

Freeman Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeman Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Redding Township

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Winterfield Township439 people · $124K homes
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Greenwood Township1,218 people · $182K homes
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Middle Branch Township849 people · $139K homes

Towns like Redding Township

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Otter Lake379 people · $101K homes
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Summerfield Township382 people · $83K homes
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+ Compare
Omer283 people · $98K homes
M
+ Compare
Merrill Township525 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.

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