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%

St. Clair$2,100/mo

Typical home $322K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.52% · or rent about $1,113/mo · Housing →

China Township$2,320/mo

Typical home $392K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · Housing →

The difference: $230 a month, about $2,700 a year, between China Township and St. Clair.

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

St. Clair and China Township share a border

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

St. ClairChina Township

St. Clair ↔ China Township5.1 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

73 China Township residents work in St. Clair (4.6% of its workers)

54 St. Clair residents work in China Township (2.3% of its workers)

Work & commute in China Township →

Report cards

St. Clair 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

B+St. ClairSafer than 74% of U.S. towns –China TownshipNot graded

Schools

B+St. ClairBetter than 73% of districts in the state B+China TownshipBetter than 73% of districts in the state

Health

B+St. ClairHealthier than 65% of U.S. towns BChina TownshipHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns

11St. Clair

4China Township

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

Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #129#682 Shortest commuteGetting around · 723 towns #225#590 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #457#137 Best schoolsSchools · 493 towns #163#334 Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #333#581 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #230#465 Most new homesHousing · 512 towns #8#148 Most educatedPeople · 723 towns #322#509

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

St. ClairChina Township

Snow a year36″36″

January low20°F 20°F

July high81°F 81°F

Growing season (days)196d 196d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)20th 46th

Outdoors & history

St. ClairChina Township

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land6.8%2.7%

Settled1828 —

National Register places1 1

Community

St. ClairChina Township

Library hours a week60 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

St. ClairChina Township

People

Population 5,585Highest 3,502Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.4%Highest MI: +2% -1.2%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 42±6.7Lowest 4% above MI 42.8±3.8Highest 6% above MI

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

Kids under 18 23.7%±5.6Highest MI: 21.2% 21.6%±5.9Lowest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 20.2%±4.2Highest MI: 18.6% 19.4%±4.6Lowest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.4%Highest MI: 32.4% 20.3%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±2Highest MI: 6.1% 1.2%±1Lowest MI: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $69,688±$14kLowest 4% below MI $98,879±$25kHighest 36% above MI

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $223,200±$42kLowest 4% below MI $322,600±$24kHighest 39% above MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,113±$137 about the MI average —

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,397Highest 17% above MI $2,663Lowest 8% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.9%±22.9Highest MI: 50.4% 0%±26.2Lowest MI: 50.4%

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

Below poverty line 7.1%Highest MI: 13.2% 3.7%Lowest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 68.1%Lowest MI: 73.2% 93.1%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1959Lowest 13 yrs older than MI 1987Highest 15 yrs newer than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 9% below MI 30 minHighest 23% above MI

Work from home 7.6%±4.2Lowest MI: 13.5% 9.1%±5.1Highest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 10.2%Highest 5.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 26.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.11Lowest 1.46Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Port Huron (8%)Detroit (7%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in China Township5% work in St. Clair

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6.8%Highest 2.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miLowest 1.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.8Highest 2.6Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #163 of 493 in MI #334 of 493 in MI

School district East China School DistrictEast China School District

High school in town None in townNone 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.

St. Clair neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to St. Clair’s Town Square.

China Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to China Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside St. Clair and China Township

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

Bordering St. Clair

+ Compare

St. Clair Township7,126 people · $335K homes

+ Compare

East China Township3,686 people · $276K homes

Towns like St. Clair

+ Compare

St. Johns7,715 people · $192K homes

+ Compare

Holly5,964 people · $192K homes

+ Compare

Portland3,790 people · $166K homes

+ Compare

Tecumseh8,646 people · $217K 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.

St. Clair vs China Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $230 more a month in China Township

St. Clair and China Township share a border

St. Clair 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 St. Clair and China Township

Bordering St. Clair

Towns like St. Clair

Post to St. Clair

Check your email