China, Michigan

Township in St. Clair County · population 3,509 (2020 Census)

Median home: $322,600
Household income: $98,879
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 85°
Snow a year: 39 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 42.8

China is a township of 3,509 people in St. Clair County, Michigan. The median home is worth $322,600, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks easier by car than 97% of Michigan towns, better for families than 95% of Michigan towns, quieter than 83% of Michigan towns.

China in our rankings:

How China 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 China is worth $322,600, above the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $98,879, which is more affordable than 26% of Michigan towns. 93.1% of households own their home.

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

Housing	China	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$322,600	$193,900
Median rent	—	$955
Median household income	$98,879	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	2.8×
Homeownership	93.1%	86.8%
Median year built	1987	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	3.3%	—

Who lives in China

People	China	Typical Michigan town
Median age	42.8	43.7
Age 65 and over	19.4%	20.7%
Under 18	21.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.3%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	3.7%	10.4%
Veterans	5.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.6%	—
Work from home	9.1%	9.1%
Average commute	29.8 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	94.5%	88.8%

Weather in China

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 16.3°F. About 34.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 39.2 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 17 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 137 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 Algonac Wwtp station (10.9 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of China since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. The strongest, unrated, struck on August 19, 1978 about 7.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 19, 1978.

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 7 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on July 20, 2023.

Severe weather in St. Clair County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, St. Clair County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

St. Clair County has been included in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, other, 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
June 30, 2004	Severe Storm	DR-1527: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
September 23, 2003	Other	EM-3189: Power Outage

Jobs and pay in St. Clair County

St. Clair County had 42,283 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,695 a year. Unemployment was 3.8% in 2023; in China itself the ACS puts it at 10.7%.

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).

Public schools in China

1 public school with 349 students, about 14.0 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Pine River Elementary School	K-4	349	14.0

Towns near China

East China, MI
3.8 mi · 3,704 people · home $275,900
Marine City, MI
5.0 mi · 4,079 people · home $159,800
St. Clair, MI
5.1 mi · 5,464 people · home $223,200
Casco, MI
5.3 mi · 3,990 people · home $303,200
Cottrellville, MI
5.5 mi · 3,406 people · home $293,900
St. Clair, MI
6.2 mi · 7,085 people · home $334,600
Ira, MI
7.1 mi · 4,967 people · home $244,200
Columbus, MI
8.6 mi · 4,112 people · home $323,200

China questions

Is China, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, China scores better for retirees than 68% of Michigan towns and quieter than 83%. 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.8).

How much does a house cost in China?

The median owner-occupied home in China is valued at $322,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $98,879, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in China?

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 16.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 34.6 inches of precipitation a year and 39.2 inches of snow.

Does China get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of China since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events). The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to China's Census boundary (GEOID 2614715540). 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.