Garfield, Michigan

Township in Clare County · population 1,807 (2020 Census)

Median home: $171,500
Household income: $68,556
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 84°
Snow a year: 61 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 47.5

Garfield is a township of 1,807 people in Clare County, Michigan. The median home is worth $171,500, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 92% of Michigan towns, better transit than 87% of Michigan towns, better for a vacation home than 84% of Michigan towns.

How Garfield 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 Garfield is worth $171,500, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 2.5 times the median household income of $68,556, which is more affordable than 74% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $950 a month. 90.2% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Garfield	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$171,500	$193,900
Median rent	$950	$955
Median household income	$68,556	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	2.5×	2.8×
Homeownership	90.2%	86.8%
Median year built	1986	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	60.2%	—

Who lives in Garfield

People	Garfield	Typical Michigan town
Median age	47.5	43.7
Age 65 and over	26.2%	20.7%
Under 18	15.8%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.2%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	16.8%	10.4%
Veterans	9.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	3.3%	—
Work from home	2.8%	9.1%
Average commute	30.2 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	91.9%	88.8%

Weather in Garfield

July highs average 83.7°F and January lows 15.9°F. About 35.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 61.3 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 146 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 Central Michigan Univ station (23.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Garfield since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on July 5, 2024 about 7.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 5, 2024.

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 11 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on April 7, 2020.

Severe weather in Clare County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Clare County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Clare County has been included in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, 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
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow
September 18, 1986	Flood	DR-774: Severe Storms & Flooding

Jobs and pay in Clare County

Clare County had 7,261 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,949 a year. Unemployment was 6.3% in 2023; in Garfield itself the ACS puts it at 9.2%.

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 Garfield

Orient, MI
4.2 mi · 733 people · home $173,400
Coldwater, MI
6.4 mi · 801 people · home $158,300
Freeman, MI
6.6 mi · 1,125 people · home $150,600
Sylvan, MI
6.9 mi · 967 people · home $119,000
Surrey, MI
7.0 mi · 3,635 people · home $121,300
Fork, MI
8.1 mi · 1,627 people · home $145,200
Gilmore, MI
9.0 mi · 1,314 people · home $157,300
Lincoln, MI
9.1 mi · 1,805 people · home $143,600

Garfield questions

Is Garfield, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Garfield scores better for retirees than 52% of Michigan towns and quieter than 62%. 26.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 47.5).

How much does a house cost in Garfield?

The median owner-occupied home in Garfield is valued at $171,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $68,556, so homes cost about 2.5 times income. Median rent is $950 a month.

What is the weather like in Garfield?

July highs average 83.7°F and January lows 15.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 35.5 inches of precipitation a year and 61.3 inches of snow.

Does Garfield get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Garfield since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on July 5, 2024. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Garfield's Census boundary (GEOID 2603531560). 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.