Carlton, Michigan

Township in Barry County · population 2,368 (2020 Census)

Median home: $256,200
Household income: $82,875
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 82°
Snow a year: 68 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 16
Median age: 53.6

Carlton is a township of 2,368 people in Barry County, Michigan. The median home is worth $256,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for families than 91% of Michigan towns, more upscale than 83% of Michigan towns, easier by car than 75% of Michigan towns.

How Carlton 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 Carlton is worth $256,200, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.1 times the median household income of $82,875, which is more affordable than 37% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $925 a month. 96.3% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Carlton	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$256,200	$193,900
Median rent	$925	$955
Median household income	$82,875	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.1×	2.8×
Homeownership	96.3%	86.8%
Median year built	1972	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	5.7%	—

Who lives in Carlton

People	Carlton	Typical Michigan town
Median age	53.6	43.7
Age 65 and over	28.7%	20.7%
Under 18	16.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.3%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	8.7%	10.4%
Veterans	13.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.5%	—
Work from home	11.5%	9.1%
Average commute	31.9 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	87.2%	88.8%

Weather in Carlton

July highs average 82.1°F and January lows 16.1°F. About 39.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 68.0 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 11 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 152 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 Hastings station (6.0 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

16 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Carlton since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 4 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on April 11, 1965 about 2.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 11, 2026.

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 15 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on April 4, 2023.

Severe weather in Barry County since 1996

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

Barry County has been included in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Flood	DR-4925: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
June 18, 2013	Flood	DR-4121: Flooding
July 14, 2008	Severe Storm	DR-1777: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Barry County

Barry County had 13,236 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $50,220 a year. Unemployment was 3.5% in 2023; in Carlton itself the ACS puts it at 3.9%.

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).

Towns near Carlton

Freeport, MI
4.2 mi · 542 people · home $175,600
Hastings, MI
5.4 mi · 7,514 people · home $174,500
Woodland, MI
6.1 mi · 1,994 people · home $298,400
Irving, MI
6.3 mi · 3,734 people · home $365,800
Hastings, MI
6.4 mi · 3,013 people · home $242,200
Campbell, MI
6.6 mi · 2,399 people · home $244,800
Lake Odessa, MI
7.1 mi · 1,994 people · home $148,600
Odessa, MI
7.9 mi · 3,918 people · home $197,200

Carlton questions

Is Carlton, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Carlton scores better for retirees than 31% of Michigan towns and quieter than 41%. 28.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 53.6).

How much does a house cost in Carlton?

The median owner-occupied home in Carlton is valued at $256,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $82,875, so homes cost about 3.1 times income. Median rent is $925 a month.

What is the weather like in Carlton?

July highs average 82.1°F and January lows 16.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 39.6 inches of precipitation a year and 68.0 inches of snow.

Does Carlton get tornadoes?

16 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Carlton since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on April 11, 1965. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Carlton's Census boundary (GEOID 2601513340). 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.