Township · Michigan

Carlton Township, Michigan

Carlton Township, township, in Barry County, Michigan. Carlton Township had 2,429 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.7% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 2,368 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,092 (±310). GEOID 2601513340.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

2,429

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,368 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,092 ±310

Median household income

$82,875

±$16,372 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875

Median home value

$256,200

±$38,407 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600

Median gross rent

$925

±$624 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129

Where is Carlton Township and what county is it in?

Carlton Township is a township in Barry County, Michigan. It covers 35.1 square miles of land, 67 residents per square mile in 2020.

Part of Freeport (village) also lies in it.

Carlton Township is in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 5 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).

Carlton Township (marked with a dot) in Barry County, Michigan. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Carlton Township, and is it growing?

The Census Bureau estimates that 2,429 people lived in Carlton Township on July 1, 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, faster than Michigan (+0.5%). The 2020 Census counted 2,368 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 2,092 (±310).

  • July 2020→2021 +24 (2,397)
  • 2021→2022 +13 (2,410)
  • 2022→2023 +19 (2,429)
  • 2023→2024 +3 (2,432)
  • 2024→2025 −3 (2,429)
ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (counts) with the change from 2015-2019
MeasureCarlton TownshipBarry CountyMichiganChange since 2015-2019
Total population2,092±31063,40910,077,761no clear change
Households815±10224,4804,076,369no clear change
Average household size2.57±0.262.572.42no clear change
Housing units900±11727,7804,622,236no clear change

Carlton Township's population since 2000

From 2,331 in 2000 to 2,429 in 2025: up 4.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Carlton Township as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

  • 2000 Census 2,331
  • 2005 (estimate) 2,439
  • 2010 Census 2,391
  • 2015 (estimate) 2,410
  • 2020 Census 2,368
  • 2025 (estimate) 2,429

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Carlton Township?

The median resident of Carlton Township is 53.6 years old; 16.6% are under 18 and 28.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 93.4%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.0%.

Age, origin, education and moves, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
MeasureCarlton TownshipBarry CountyMichiganChange since 2015-2019
Median age53.6±6.242.340.2no clear change
Under 18 years16.6%±6.0 pts21.7%21.2%–
65 years and over28.7%±6.0 pts19.5%18.6%–
Male51.6%±2.7 pts50.4%49.6%–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)4.0%±3.7 pts3.7%5.9%–
White alone, not Hispanic93.4%±4.0 pts91.8%72.4%no clear change
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic0.4%±0.7 pts0.3%13.1%–
Asian alone, not Hispanic0.5%±0.8 pts0.6%3.4%–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.4 pts0.1%0.3%–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.4 pts0.1%0.0%–
Two or more races, not Hispanic1.7%±1.5 pts3.1%4.5%–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.4 pts0.3%0.5%–
Born outside the United States1.5%±1.2 pts2.7%7.2%–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)2.5%±2.5 pts4.9%10.4%–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)13.8%±4.3 pts6.6%5.8%–
With a disability15.1%±3.7 pts12.9%14.3%–
No health insurance coverage1.4%±1.1 pts5.2%4.9%–
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)92.4%±3.4 pts93.4%92.1%–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)20.3%±4.8 pts24.9%32.4%no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)5.8%±2.2 pts7.8%12.7%–
Lived in the same house a year earlier92.5%±2.8 pts92.0%88.8%–
Moved from another state in the past year2.2%±2.0 pts0.6%1.4%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Carlton Township earn?

Half of Carlton Township's 815 households earn less than $82,875 a year (±$16,372), against $77,500 in Barry County and $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $81,533 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 8.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; 2015-2019 dollars adjusted with the R-CPI-U-RS
MeasureCarlton TownshipBarry CountyMichiganChange since 2015-2019
Median household income$82,875±$16,372$77,500$72,875no clear change
Mean household income$103,684±$20,797$102,948$98,700–
Per capita income$41,115±$6,790$40,828$40,735no clear change
People below the poverty line8.7%±4.8 pts8.4%13.2%no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line5.6%±8.5 pts9.7%17.6%–
Households receiving SNAP2.9%±2.5 pts9.4%13.5%–
Households with a computer92.8%±3.7 pts93.5%95.1%–
Households with a broadband subscription87.2%±5.0 pts86.8%90.5%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Carlton Township?

Owners occupy 96.3% of Carlton Township's occupied homes and renters 3.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $256,200 by its owner (±$38,407).

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Home values are owners' own estimates.
MeasureCarlton TownshipBarry CountyMichiganChange since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)$256,200±$38,407$264,100$231,600+$48,828
Median gross rent$925±$624$972$1,129–
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent0.0%±73.6 pts33.8%41.4%–
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage$1,527±$140$1,545$1,569–
Owner-occupied homes96.3%±2.6 pts87.3%73.2%no clear change
Renter-occupied homes3.7%±2.6 pts12.7%26.8%–
Housing units900±11727,7804,622,236no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate0.0%±3.7 pts0.3%0.8%–
Rental vacancy rate0.0%±52.0 pts4.3%5.1%–
Single-family detached homes90.7%±4.9 pts86.5%72.0%–
Mobile homes8.1%±4.7 pts7.1%5.0%–
Built 2020 or later0.7%±1.0 pts1.8%1.0%–
Built 2010 to 20194.0%±2.9 pts5.8%4.9%–
Built 1939 or earlier19.9%±6.9 pts17.6%14.6%–
Households with no vehicle1.2%±1.4 pts3.4%7.0%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How do people in Carlton Township work and get to work?

84.2% of Carlton Township's workers drive alone and 11.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 31.9 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (workers 16 and over)
MeasureCarlton TownshipBarry CountyMichiganChange since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)49.7%±5.8 pts59.3%61.3%–
Unemployment rate3.9%±2.7 pts4.3%5.7%–
Drove alone to work84.2%±6.0 pts79.3%74.3%–
Carpooled3.2%±2.9 pts7.0%7.9%–
Public transportation0.0%±3.5 pts0.2%0.9%–
Walked0.0%±3.5 pts1.7%2.0%–
Worked from home11.5%±5.2 pts10.5%13.5%+8.5 pts
Mean travel time to work31.9 min±4.627.7 min24.2 minno clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What census tracts are in Carlton Township?

No census tract lies mostly in Carlton Township; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).

Census tracts in Carlton Township, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractResidents, 2020-2024Median household incomeMedian home valueShare of tract in Carlton Township
Tract 102Barry County5,899 $78,056 $328,00045%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Carlton Township) · Census block assignment files

How does Carlton Township compare with other places in Michigan?

By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Carlton Township is the 4,188th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 504th-most populous of 1,240 in Michigan.

Carlton Township ranks 409th of 1,354 places in Michigan with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.

Carlton Township's rank in Michigan (1 = highest): by population among the state's towns and townships with a 2025 estimate; by the other measures among places of 1,000+ residents with a reliable estimate
MeasureRankOf
Population, July 2025 estimate504th1,240
Growth 2020-2025 (PEP)293rd1,281
Residents per square mile945th1,356
Median household income409th1,354
Per capita income451st1,355
Median home value371st1,354
Poverty rate745th1,213
Bachelor's degree or higher789th1,350
Median age121st1,356
Owner-occupied share77th1,356
Work from home455th1,062
Travel time to work191st1,356

Carlton Township's figures with every place in Michigan (CSV)

Every place in Michigan, sortable · Compare Carlton Township with other places

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Carlton Township?

25 of the 57 figures for Carlton Township on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Carlton Township are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.