Bronson, Michigan

City in Branch County · population 2,307 (2020 Census)

Median home: $114,800
Household income: $46,359
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 82°
Snow a year: 41 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 15
Median age: 35.3

Bronson is a city of 2,307 people in Branch County, Michigan. The median home is worth $114,800, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900).

How Bronson ranks

Percentile among Michigan towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Michigan towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Bronson is worth $114,800, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 2.5 times the median household income of $46,359, which is more affordable than 74% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $938 a month. 67.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Michigan towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Bronson	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$114,800	$193,900
Median rent	$938	$955
Median household income	$46,359	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	2.5×	2.8×
Homeownership	67.9%	86.8%
Median year built	1953	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Bronson

People	Bronson	Typical Michigan town
Median age	35.3	43.7
Age 65 and over	13.8%	20.7%
Under 18	26.5%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.0%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	20.9%	10.4%
Veterans	3.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	5.2%	—
Work from home	4.9%	9.1%
Average commute	21.6 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	90.3%	88.8%

Weather in Bronson

July highs average 81.9°F and January lows 15.9°F. About 39.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 41.4 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 7 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 136 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Coldwater St School station (11.9 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

15 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bronson since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 4 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on April 11, 1965 about 9.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on April 2, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 13 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on August 1, 2003.

Severe weather in Branch County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Branch County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Branch County has been included in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for tornado, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow
January 27, 1978	Snowstorm	EM-3057: Blizzards & Snowstorms

Jobs and pay in Branch County

Branch County had 15,240 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $53,639 a year. Unemployment was 3.9% in 2023; in Bronson itself the ACS puts it at 2.8%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Bronson

3 public schools with 946 students, about 17.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Bronson JrSr High School	6-12	523	20.9
Ryan Elementary School	3-5	213	15.2
Anderson Elementary School	K-2	210	14.0

Towns near Bronson

Bronson, MI
3.2 mi · 1,288 people · home $184,400
Bethel, MI
4.3 mi · 1,431 people · home $124,600
Matteson, MI
5.3 mi · 1,173 people · home $139,300
Batavia, MI
5.9 mi · 1,323 people · home $133,300
Burr Oak, MI
7.1 mi · 753 people · home $106,400
Gilead, MI
7.1 mi · 656 people · home $225,500
Burr Oak, MI
8.1 mi · 2,639 people · home $155,300
Colon, MI
9.1 mi · 1,199 people · home $153,500

Bronson questions

Is Bronson, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bronson scores better for retirees than 6% of Michigan towns and quieter than 38%. 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 35.3).

How much does a house cost in Bronson?

The median owner-occupied home in Bronson is valued at $114,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $46,359, so homes cost about 2.5 times income. Median rent is $938 a month.

What is the weather like in Bronson?

July highs average 81.9°F and January lows 15.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 39.1 inches of precipitation a year and 41.4 inches of snow.

Does Bronson get tornadoes?

15 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bronson since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on April 11, 1965. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bronson's Census boundary (GEOID 2610860). Comparisons use the median of Michigan towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.