Buchanan, Michigan

Township in Berrien County · population 3,436 (2020 Census)

Median home: $194,000
Household income: $66,783
Jan low / Jul high: 19° / 83°
Snow a year: 63 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 21
Median age: 51.8

Buchanan is a township of 3,436 people in Berrien County, Michigan. The median home is worth $194,000, close to the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 95% of Michigan towns, better transit than 92% of Michigan towns, hipper than 72% of Michigan towns.

Buchanan in our rankings:

How Buchanan 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 Buchanan is worth $194,000, close to the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 2.9 times the median household income of $66,783, which is more affordable than 48% of Michigan towns. 96.3% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Buchanan	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$194,000	$193,900
Median rent	—	$955
Median household income	$66,783	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	2.9×	2.8×
Homeownership	96.3%	86.8%
Median year built	1974	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	13.1%	—

Who lives in Buchanan

People	Buchanan	Typical Michigan town
Median age	51.8	43.7
Age 65 and over	25.1%	20.7%
Under 18	16.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.6%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	5.1%	10.4%
Veterans	6.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.9%	—
Work from home	23.5%	9.1%
Average commute	21.9 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	83.7%	88.8%

Weather in Buchanan

July highs average 83.3°F and January lows 18.7°F. About 41.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 62.5 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 124 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 Niles station (6.6 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

21 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Buchanan since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 9 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on October 24, 2001 about 8.6 miles from the town center and killed 1. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 8 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on April 17, 2026.

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 25 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on May 7, 2003.

Severe weather in Berrien County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Berrien County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Berrien County has been included in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

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
June 30, 2004	Severe Storm	DR-1527: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow

Jobs and pay in Berrien County

Berrien County had 60,626 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $57,009 a year. Unemployment was 4.2% in 2023; in Buchanan itself the ACS puts it at 5.5%.

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 Buchanan

Buchanan, MI
2.2 mi · 4,300 people · home $154,300
Bertrand, MI
4.8 mi · 2,611 people · home $297,100
Niles, MI
5.7 mi · 14,417 people · home $173,100
Oronoko, MI
6.5 mi · 9,226 people · home $228,100
Baroda, MI
7.4 mi · 2,835 people · home $234,400
Niles, MI
7.6 mi · 11,988 people · home $135,100
Berrien, MI
8.1 mi · 4,868 people · home $252,500
Lake, MI
8.8 mi · 3,316 people · home $299,800

Buchanan questions

Is Buchanan, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Buchanan scores better for retirees than 35% of Michigan towns and quieter than 59%. 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 51.8).

How much does a house cost in Buchanan?

The median owner-occupied home in Buchanan is valued at $194,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $66,783, so homes cost about 2.9 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Buchanan?

July highs average 83.3°F and January lows 18.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 41.7 inches of precipitation a year and 62.5 inches of snow.

Does Buchanan get tornadoes?

21 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Buchanan since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on October 24, 2001. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Buchanan's Census boundary (GEOID 2602111420). 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.