49036 — Coldwater, Michigan

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 49036. Its median household income runs 23% above Coldwater as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

53out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 32% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
Opportunity2,759th of 3,116 ZIP areas measured33
Schools2,166th of 3,047 ZIP areas measured34
Growth1,944th of 3,124 ZIP areas measured44
Housing affordabilityTop 22% of 3,112 ZIP areas measured77
Climate2,677th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured60
Physical resilienceTop 30% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured73
Access2,070th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured87
Economic stability2,676th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured30
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 4.2% and the Opportunity signal places 49036 in the bottom 11%. The unemployment rate is published for Coldwater, MI, which contains 49036, rather than for 49036 alone.

In the public schools here, 35% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 20.7 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 28% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.4 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
24,826
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$62,259
Bottom 34% nationally
Density
161/sq mi
154.2 sq mi of land
Median age
42.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Coldwater
Michigan
Micro area
Nearest major airport
BTL
30 mi · Battle Creek Exec At Kellogg Fld
Median home value
$167,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Coldwater, MI, which contains 49036, is 4.2%, lower than in 58% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Coldwater, MI, which contains 49036, fell 4.5% over the past year, to 20,823 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsBranch County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$53,13416th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftBranch County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$52,17313th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,4832024 ACS 5-Year$62,259Bottom 34%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,4892024 ACS 5-Year$31,522Bottom 32%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year15.8%Bottom 28%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.7 minTop 15%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year18.4%Bottom 35%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year77.7%57th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentColdwater, MI’s figureJuly 202620,823Bottom 21%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Coldwater, MI’s figureJuly 2026−2.2%Bottom 22%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Coldwater, MI’s figureJuly 2026−4.5%Bottom 2%of 3,127July 2026
Labor forceColdwater, MI’s figureJuly 202621,73520th percentileof 3,127July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year68.3%Bottom 20%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.3%68th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Coldwater, MI’s figureJuly 2026−0.9%Top 13%of 3,127July 2026
Unemployment rateColdwater, MI’s figureJuly 20264.2%Top 42%of 3,127July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year6.4%32nd percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202462k55k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $62,259 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Coldwater, MI, the city containing this ZIP code.

35% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 20.7 students for every full-time teacher across 7 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
9
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
20.7
across 7 of them
Math proficiency
35.3%
Bottom 45% in Michigan
Reading proficiency
41.6%
Bottom 33% in Michigan
All 9 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Coldwater High SchoolColdwater Community Schools98128.037%52%
Legg Middle SchoolColdwater Community Schools61618.736%43%
Pansophia Academy · charterPansophia Academy51419.817%21%
Larsen Elementary SchoolColdwater Community Schools46317.1——
Jefferson Elementary SchoolColdwater Community Schools37818.042%31%
Lakeland Elementary SchoolColdwater Community Schools37519.740%41%
Waldron Learning CenterBranch ISD24820.747%57%
Branch Area Careers CenterBranch ISD0———
Lakeland Correctional FacilityMichigan Department of Corrections0———

65.4% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Michigan’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Michigan is up 58% over five years, and up 5.6% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,028 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.21% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, close to the $967 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 62% of the median household income here of $62,259.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $967 a month.

A median home at $167,800 costs 2.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $70,381, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
28.1%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$967
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$167,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 49036’s median household income of $62,259, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Michigan’s figure2026 Q2+5.6%86th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Michigan’s figure2026 Q2+57.9%92nd percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Michigan’s figure2026 Q2+119.4%85th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.4Top 37%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year74.9%40th percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±2412024 ACS 5-Year11,86387th percentileof 33,4602024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$840Top 12%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,324Top 11%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 6%of 3,031FY2026
Median gross rent ±$532024 ACS 5-Year$967Top 46%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,8302024 ACS 5-Year$167,80034th percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1632024 ACS 5-Year$2,02852nd percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$6,0042024 ACS 5-Year$70,381Bottom 31%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.11%2024 ACS 5-Year1.21%69th percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year28.1%Top 49%of 26,2472024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1732024 ACS 5-Year1,59198th percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year13.4%85th percentileof 32,9612024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.6%55th percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2522024 ACS 5-Year2,49798th percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

44/ 100
Ranks 1,944 of 3,124 published ZIP profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 10 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Coldwater, MI, which contains 49036, rather than for 49036 alone.

At 0.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Coldwater, MI, which contains 49036, rather than for 49036 alone.

Units permitted
10
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.7
Bottom 17% nationally
Year over year
+233%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.2%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
45%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$53,134
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$52,173
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Calhoun County, MI 247 people · 14% of arrivals
  2. St. Joseph County, MI 206 people · 12% of arrivals
  3. Hillsdale County, MI 183 people · 10% of arrivals
  4. Steuben County, IN 73 people · 4.2% of arrivals
  5. Kalamazoo County, MI 58 people · 3.3% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Calhoun County, MI 322 people · 18% of departures
  2. Hillsdale County, MI 167 people · 9.3% of departures
  3. St. Joseph County, MI 150 people · 8.3% of departures
  4. Steuben County, IN 95 people · 5.3% of departures
  5. Kalamazoo County, MI 65 people · 3.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Branch County, MI. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Coldwater, MI, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 16°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 39.1 inches, including 42.7 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station COLDWATER ST SCHOOL, 4.4 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.4"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals39.1"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals42.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

73 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 55% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 70% of measured US ZIP areas.

HailElevated
TornadoElevated
Cold waveModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, inland flooding, drought, ice storm, earthquake, lightning, landslide, winter weather, hurricane, wildfire, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
13.5
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
9.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
17.3
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 49036 (Branch County) rather than 49036 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Coldwater carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Battle Creek Exec At Kellogg Fld at 30 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year87.0%Bottom 39%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle30 miBottom 29%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle6Top 26%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.7%Bottom 35%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Battle Creek Exec At Kellogg FldBTL30 mi10,004 ft
Capital Region IntlLAN64 mi8,506 ft
Eugene F Kranz Toledo ExpressTOL67 mi10,600 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
53
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

49036 vs Coldwater

How this ZIP area compares with Coldwater as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.

49036
Coldwater
Median household income: 49036 is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$62,259
vs
$50,781
Per capita income: 49036 is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$31,522
vs
$24,891
Population density
161/sq mi
vs
1,451/sq mi
Median home value
$167,800
vs
$137,500
Median gross rent: Coldwater is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$967
vs
$943
Homeownership rate
74.9%
vs
64.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 49036 is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
18.4%
vs
13.9%
Poverty rate: 49036 is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
15.8%
vs
20.6%
Median age
42.6
vs
39.5

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.