Living in Williamston, Michigan: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 5% below the U.S. average in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood11 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 4.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byMcLaren Greater Lansing in Lansing, about 11 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDetroit is about 64 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Williamston meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $226,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Ingham County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $900 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $71,379U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 66%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,259 a yearMichigan: $2,904
Homes built before 1940: 17%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 4%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 95U.S. average = 100 (the Lansing-East Lansing metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Lansing-East Lansing metro area, not Williamston alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 3,8102020: 3,800
Median age: 40.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (24%); retail (11%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 26 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 17%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 9%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: McLaren Greater Lansing, Lansing, MI, about 11 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Williamston, run by Williamston Community Schools.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Michigan's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 83%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 95%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 18°F
July average high: 83°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 9 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 145 a year
Rain and melted snow: 34.9 inches a year
Snow: 46 inches a year
Elevation: 890 feet

Weather stations: East Lansing 4 S (10 miles away) and Williamston 3NE (3 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

McLaren Greater LansingEmergency room11

Lansing, MICity of 114,00014

Detroit, MIMetro of 4.4 million64

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: McLaren Greater Lansing, Lansing, Detroit.

Ingham County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Williamston Downtown Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

North Country National Scenic Trail58 miles

Read about Williamston's history on Wikipedia.

Know Williamston?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Webberville, MI1,300 people, 5 miles
Haslett, MI18,600 people, 7 miles
Mason, MI8,300 people, 11 miles
Perry, MI2,100 people, 11 miles
Fowlerville, MI2,900 people, 11 miles
Bath, MI2,900 people, 13 miles

Smaller places

Shaftsburg, MI (unincorporated)441 people, 9 miles
Dansville, MI522 people, 9 miles
Morrice, MI975 people, 12 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.