Village · Michigan
Lawton, Michigan
Lawton, village, in Van Buren County, Michigan. Lawton had 1,861 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.5% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,850 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,104 (±367). GEOID 2646500.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,861
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,850 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,104 ±367
Median household income
$52,652
±$6,747 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875
Median home value
$171,100
±$17,439 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600
Median gross rent
$812
±$246 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129
Where is Lawton and what county is it in?
Lawton is a village in Van Buren County, Michigan. It covers 2.3 square miles of land, 808 residents per square mile in 2020.
Lawton lies entirely within Antwerp Township, a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Lawton, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,861 people lived in Lawton on July 1, 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, while Michigan grew 0.5%. The 2020 Census counted 1,850 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 2,104 (±367).
| Measure | Lawton | Van Buren County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 2,104 ±367 | 75,795 | +534 |
| Households | 896 ±164 | 30,622 | +230 |
| Average household size | 2.18 ±0.19 | 2.44 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 948 ±162 | 37,405 | +241 |
Lawton's population since 2000
From 1,859 in 2000 to 1,861 in 2025: up 0.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Lawton 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.
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 Lawton?
The median resident of Lawton is 39.3 years old; 23.4% are under 18 and 24.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 86.6%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 5.0%.
| Measure | Lawton | Van Buren County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.3 ±3.9 | 41.2 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 23.4% ±5.6 pts | 22.9% | – |
| 65 years and over | 24.6% ±4.9 pts | 19.9% | – |
| Male | 48.2% ±4.1 pts | 49.9% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.1% ±3.0 pts | 12.5% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 86.6% ±4.8 pts | 78.2% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 1.7% ±1.5 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.9% ±1.5 pts | 0.5% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 1.7% ±1.6 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.0% ±2.3 pts | 4.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.4 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 1.8% ±1.6 pts | 4.6% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 2.8% ±2.5 pts | 10.1% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 7.5% ±2.5 pts | 6.1% | – |
| With a disability | 16.4% ±5.1 pts | 11.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 4.2% ±2.3 pts | 7.0% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 89.7% ±3.8 pts | 89.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 18.5% ±5.4 pts | 23.0% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 6.6% ±2.9 pts | 8.4% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 90.3% ±3.7 pts | 92.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.8% ±0.8 pts | 1.7% | – |
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 Lawton earn?
Half of Lawton's 896 households earn less than $52,652 a year (±$6,747), against $68,114 in Van Buren County and $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $59,284 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 19.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Lawton | Van Buren County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,652 ±$6,747 | $68,114 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $59,217 ±$8,325 | $85,909 | – |
| Per capita income | $27,126 ±$3,518 | $35,009 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 19.3% ±7.6 pts | 14.3% | +9.2 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 30.3% ±15.8 pts | 19.2% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 19.9% ±6.6 pts | 13.7% | – |
| Households with a computer | 91.5% ±4.2 pts | 93.9% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 88.8% ±5.3 pts | 89.4% | – |
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 Lawton?
Owners occupy 64.8% of Lawton's occupied homes and renters 35.2%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $171,100 by its owner (±$17,439). The median renter pays $812 a month including utilities, and 56.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Lawton | Van Buren County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $171,100 ±$17,439 | $206,500 | +$42,369 |
| Median gross rent | $812 ±$246 | $870 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 56.6% ±15.9 pts | 38.9% | +22.8 pts |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,216 ±$101 | $1,404 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 64.8% ±8.8 pts | 80.6% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 35.2% ±8.8 pts | 19.4% | – |
| Housing units | 948 ±162 | 37,405 | +241 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±5.0 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.8% ±5.1 pts | 6.5% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 71.8% ±8.1 pts | 78.2% | – |
| Mobile homes | 1.8% ±1.5 pts | 11.1% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 1.2% ±1.1 pts | 5.2% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 33.0% ±6.9 pts | 17.7% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 10.7% ±5.3 pts | 5.7% | – |
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 many new homes is Lawton building?
Builders took permits for 0 new housing units in Lawton in 2025 (0 in single-family houses), 0.0 per 1,000 residents against 2.3 across Michigan.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Lawton work and get to work?
75.9% of Lawton's workers drive alone and 8.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.6 minutes.
| Measure | Lawton | Van Buren County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 55.5% ±5.7 pts | 58.6% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 7.9% ±5.2 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 75.9% ±7.1 pts | 76.3% | – |
| Carpooled | 11.3% ±5.5 pts | 10.2% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±3.6 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Walked | 3.1% ±2.4 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Worked from home | 8.5% ±4.4 pts | 10.5% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 24.6 min ±3.6 | 24.5 min | no 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 Lawton?
1 census tract lies mostly in Lawton (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 110.04Van Buren County | 4,200 | $66,500 |
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 Lawton) · Census block assignment files
How does Lawton compare with other places in Michigan?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Lawton is the 7,930th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 264th-most populous of 533 in Michigan.
Lawton ranks 1,184th of 1,354 places in Michigan with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 264th | 533 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 1,045th | 1,281 |
| Residents per square mile | 396th | 1,356 |
| Median household income | 1,184th | 1,354 |
| Per capita income | 1,206th | 1,355 |
| Median home value | 912th | 1,354 |
| Median gross rent | 951st | 1,212 |
| Poverty rate | 164th | 1,213 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 875th | 1,350 |
| Median age | 999th | 1,356 |
| Owner-occupied share | 1,198th | 1,356 |
| Work from home | 717th | 1,062 |
| Travel time to work | 739th | 1,356 |
Lawton's figures with every place in Michigan (CSV)
Every place in Michigan, sortable · Compare Lawton 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 Lawton?
17 of the 57 figures for Lawton 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 Lawton 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' public schools in Lawton.