It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Like the rest of Calhoun County, Clarence Township was populated by Potawatomi people before the coming of Euro-Americans.

There are settlements at a few unincorporated communities: Duck Lake is the most prominent feature in the township, and is the headwaters for the Battle Creek River, which flows north from the lake towards Charlotte.

Two other branches of Battle Creek also flow north out of the township.

South and east of Duck Lake are a series of smaller lakes that flow into the North Branch of Rice Creek (a tributary of the Kalamazoo River).

20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.