Garden, Michigan

Township in Delta County · population 772 (2020 Census)

Median home: $153,400
Household income: $51,838
Jan low / Jul high: 8° / 78°
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 3
Median age: 60.5

Garden is a township of 772 people in Delta County, Michigan. The median home is worth $153,400, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 99% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 93% of Michigan towns, better for retirees than 92% of Michigan towns.

Garden in our rankings:

How Garden 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 Garden is worth $153,400, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $51,838, which is more affordable than 43% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $645 a month. 91.0% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Garden	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$153,400	$193,900
Median rent	$645	$955
Median household income	$51,838	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.0×	2.8×
Homeownership	91.0%	86.8%
Median year built	1971	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	41.0%	—

Who lives in Garden

People	Garden	Typical Michigan town
Median age	60.5	43.7
Age 65 and over	43.7%	20.7%
Under 18	11.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.3%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	11.2%	10.4%
Veterans	10.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.1%	—
Work from home	5.3%	9.1%
Average commute	43.9 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	91.6%	88.8%

Weather in Garden

July highs average 78.0°F and January lows 7.9°F. About 34.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year. Expect about 1 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 185 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 Garden Corners station (3.2 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Garden since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on July 11, 1987 about 2.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on October 5, 1997.

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 5 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on May 22, 2019.

Severe weather in Delta County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Delta County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 5 deaths recorded.

Delta County has been included in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for drought, freezing, hurricane.

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
May 10, 1994	Freezing	DR-1028: Severe Deep Freeze
January 27, 1978	Snowstorm	EM-3057: Blizzards & Snowstorms

Jobs and pay in Delta County

Delta County had 13,848 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,978 a year. Unemployment was 5.2% in 2023; in Garden itself the ACS puts it at 5.4%.

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 Garden

1 public school with 208 students, about 16.0 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Big Bay De Noc School	PK-12	208	16.0

Towns near Garden

Thompson, MI
8.5 mi · 808 people · home $230,500
Inwood, MI
10.8 mi · 654 people · home $229,100
Manistique, MI
13.3 mi · 2,828 people · home $93,300
Ensign, MI
17.2 mi · 746 people · home $180,800
Masonville, MI
18.5 mi · 1,645 people · home $166,200
Manistique, MI
22.2 mi · 1,045 people · home $200,900
Hiawatha, MI
22.4 mi · 1,305 people · home $184,500
Gladstone, MI
24.9 mi · 5,257 people · home $118,600

Garden questions

Is Garden, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Garden scores better for retirees than 92% of Michigan towns and quieter than 88%. 43.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 60.5).

How much does a house cost in Garden?

The median owner-occupied home in Garden is valued at $153,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $51,838, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $645 a month.

What is the weather like in Garden?

July highs average 78.0°F and January lows 7.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 34.1 inches of precipitation a year.

Does Garden get tornadoes?

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Garden since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on July 11, 1987. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Garden's Census boundary (GEOID 2604131400). 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.