Cato is a township in Montcalm County, Michigan, home to about 2,950 people across 35 square miles. Its ZIP code is 48850, and parts of 48886 are in Cato too.
Homes sold for a median of $168 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Cato; also Pine and Hinton
Mostly Belvidere; part is in Cato
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Cato. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Cato’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)40 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Detroit, MI131 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL165 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Cato; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Cato had 2,898 residents in the 2020 census, down 1% since 2000.
It’s the 599th largest of 1,531 towns in Michigan by population.
Montcalm County grew from 32,754 residents in 1900 to 66,614 in 2020.
Montcalm County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 13°F. About 36.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 73 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Greenville 2 Nne, MI weather station (16 miles away).
13,588 jobs at 1,058 businesses in Montcalm County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
37 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cato.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 4 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 6 |
| Dentists | 5 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 13 |
| Mental health providers | 4 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 4 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm). Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview Elementary SchoolLakeview | Pre-K–3 | 306 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Lakeview Middle SchoolLakeview | 4–7 | 329 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Lakeview High SchoolLakeview | 8–12 | 368 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Hill Amish Par SchoolLakeview | 1–8 | 32 | Amish | 4.7 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Belvidere, Pine, Hinton, Winfield, Douglass and Millbrook.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.