The 10 Best Places To Live In Michigan In 2023


The best places to live in Michigan for 2023 are Huntington Woods, Berkley, and Birmingham. Find out where your city or town ranks.

Consider yourself lucky if you call one of the best places to live in Michigan home. And rightfully so. Michigan has a ton of exceptional characteristics that are unique to the only state that borders five Great Lakes.

Michigan’s long summer days and fantastic family-friendly atmosphere make the best places in Michigan some of the best you’ll find anywhere. Crystal-clear lakes, lush pine forests, and friendly people aside, Michigan’s top places have a lot to offer.

We ranked the best places in Michigan based on attributes people want when looking to move – a strong job market, low cost of living, and plenty of things to do make these cities extremely desirable. Our job of determining the best cities to live in Michigan was quite the feat.

So, grab a cold Labatts, warm a pasty, and read on for more details on the top places to live in Michigan.

Yes, Michigan is every outdoor enthusiast’s dream come true. But Michigan has many incredible cities where commute times, education, and strong economies make resisting difficult. The trick is to find it all.

What city is the best place to live in Michigan for 2023? According to the US Census and FBI data, Huntington Woods is the best place to live in Michigan if you care about home values, low crime, and high quality of life.

The list below gives you a look into the top ten best places to live in Michigan.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

For more Michigan reading, check out:

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The 10 best places to live In Michigan for 2023

Huntington Woods, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 6,382
Rank Last Year 1
Median Home Value $386,100
Unemployment Rate 2.4%

Coming in as The Mitten’s best city is Huntington Woods. Previously ranked first, Huntington Woods is also located just southeast of Detroit and the locals here would tell you that it has a lot to offer. With over 6,382 highly educated residents, the median income in The City of Homes is close to $157,665 and the median home price is $386,100.

The adventures are endless in Huntington Woods. One stop could lead you to learning about the natural world at the Cranbrook Institute of Science; and if you happen to be visiting between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, you could always pick up a snack and experience at Franklin Cider Mill.

Huntington Woods boasts a 10/10 overall SnackAbility. Come for a visit and stay for a while.

More on Huntington Woods: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Berkley, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 15,234
Rank Last Year 4
Median Home Value $238,200
Unemployment Rate 2.8%

Where the MI-1 and Eleven Mile meet 25 minutes northeast of Detroit is the 2nd best place to live in Michigan. This must be a Michigan hot spot because it has the youngest population in the state and it’s one of the best cities for singles in The Mitten. If we know anything about today’s young people and millennials, they know where to find the best deals. They have chosen Berkley because it has a manageable cost of living, affordable homes, and low crime.

Yes, the cost of living here is lower than the national average and slightly higher than the state–1.1x in fact. Homes here are the 24th lowest in the state–expect to pay $238,200 for a nice single family home. And, crime? There were only 79 recorded at the time of this report.

More on Berkley: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Birmingham, MI

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10
Population 21,728
Rank Last Year 2
Median Home Value $580,200
Unemployment Rate 4.6%

Moving into first as the #3 best city to live in Michigan is Birmingham. Located southeast of Detroit in Oakland County with over 21,728 residents, “This Walkable Community” has the best of both worlds-activities for the family and adults alike. Birmingham has much to offer throughout the seasons between attending farmer’s markets, enjoying a winter brew at Griffin Claw, or taking the family to check out the The Robot Garage, these are just a few of the many reasons Birmingham has moved into the top spot for best city in Michigan.

Birmingham also scored a 7.5/10 on overall SnackAbility with an emphasis on jobs, safety, and education.

More on Birmingham: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Beverly Hills, MI

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10
Population 10,593
Rank Last Year 6
Median Home Value $403,100
Unemployment Rate 1.9%

“Beverly Hills that’s where I want to be..” This might not be the Beverly Hills that Weezer sings about, but it’s definitely one of the nicest places in Michigan; so much that it’s the 4th best place in the state for 2023.

And this is because it has some of the highest home prices in the state. Now, don’t get it twisted, we’re not saying that a place can only be one of the best if it has fancy homes; generally speaking, however, higher home prices mean higher property taxes which trickles down to better schools and nicer amenities. So, when we looked at Beverly Hills SnackAbility scores, we were not surprised to find the city scored a 9.5/10 for education and an 8.5/10 for amenities. You will be happy to know that the unemployment rate here is the 6th best in the state at 1.9% and that the median income is $148,101/year–so, it is doable.

More on Beverly Hills: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

East Grand Rapids, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 11,381
Rank Last Year 3
Median Home Value $409,200
Unemployment Rate 1.8%

Located just East of Grand Rapids is Michigan’s 5th best city — East Grand Rapids. While it is not the number one best city in Michigan for 2023, it has the 4th highest household income at $145,000 making it also one of the richest places in The Great Lakes State. So, if you are an outdoor enthusiast, that nice income provides a little extra cash to experience the fun, outdoor things that East Grand rapids has to offer. Like, spending the day at Reeds Lake hiking and biking the trails or taking in one of the many yachting regattas at the Grand Rapids Yacht Club. However, if you have some time, a day trip to the Lake Michigan beaches in Grand Haven are a Pure Michigan experience.

The people in East Grand Rapids are great, but that’s not why this city is the 5th best. East Grand Rapids earned this rank because the job opportunities are endless, it has great schools, and the crime rate here is 58% below the national average.

More on East Grand Rapids: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Grosse Pointe Park, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 11,529
Rank Last Year 8
Median Home Value $380,900
Unemployment Rate 2.3%

On the Michigan Mitten, Grosse Pointe Park is located where the thumb meets the hand and this must be a good spot as this city is the 6th best place to live in the state. It’s also one of the oldest counties in the state, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect an affordable cost of living and a safe environment for its residents and anyone looking to move to this Detroit suburb. Currently the city holds the 6th best median home price at $380,900 and the people here make a lot of money–like a median income of $123,859/year. This salary helps to offset the slightly higher than the national average cost of living. Just know that if you choose Grosse Pointe Park as your forever home, living expenses like groceries and transportation will be slightly higher–(maybe it’s time to think about dusting off the ‘ol bike….)

More on Grosse Pointe Park: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 10,018
Rank Last Year 7
Median Home Value $364,400
Unemployment Rate 2.2%

Yes, Michigan is known as the “Wolverine State,” but you don’t have to worry, there are no longer any wolverines that reside here, but what is still a “thing” is the fact that Grosse Pointe Farms is one of the best places to live in the state. Matter of fact, it’s Michigan’s 7th best of the best.

To be one of the best, a city needs to protect its residents, provide an affordable cost of living for its residents, as well as provide job opportunities to keep its residents happy, healthy, and employed. And, folks, that’s just what Grosse Pointe Farms has done. The crime rate here is below the state average–there were only 72 crimes recorded at the time of this report. The unemployment rate is 2.2% and most residents make $146,667/year.

More on Grosse Pointe Farms: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Grosse Pointe, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 5,597
Rank Last Year 5
Median Home Value $347,500
Unemployment Rate 3.3%

Grosse Pointe, Michigan, is a famously wealthy suburb of Detroit – the perfect home town for professional athletes (including baseball’s Miguel Cabrera) and big-shot auto executives. It’s no surprise, then, that the affluent community rates as the number 8 top place in the state to put down roots.

Cementing its reputation as a haven for rich execs, the median income in Grosse Pointe sits at a lofty $125,909. That represent the 7th highest in Michigan. The median home value hovers at $347,500, the state’s 11th highest figure. With all that property-tax money to support them, the schools in the area are excellent. They get a ranking of 8/10 from Great Schools.

Crime in the town of 5,597 residents is well below the national average. The cost of living is a little higher than the standard for the U.S. as a whole.

Sitting on the coast of Lake St. Clair, within site of the Canadian border, Grosse Pointe provides excellent access to downtown Detroit, just 20 minutes away. The community also has its own amenities, including shopping at The Village or a stroll through Neff Park.

More on Grosse Pointe: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Plymouth, MI

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population 9,308
Rank Last Year 15
Median Home Value $362,000
Unemployment Rate 3.6%

Much like Plymouth Rock, Michigan’s 9th best place to live Plymouth stands for freedom. However, in Plymouth’s case, it’s freedom from high prices and boredom. Yes, Plymouth scored a 7/10 on our SnackAbility scale and quality of life indicators like affordability, safety, and amenities were among the city’s best attributes.

Folks, the median home price here is the 10th best in the state–you can get a quality single family home for $362,000. To put the city’s crime rate in perspective, there were only 58 crimes reported at the time we pulled Plymouth’s numbers making this small town of 9,308 residents one of the safest in the state. And when it’s time to blow off some steam from the work week, Kellogg Park and the https://plymouthhistory.org/”>Plymouth History Museum should do the trick.

More on Plymouth: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Royal Oak, MI

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population 58,368
Rank Last Year 10
Median Home Value $249,900
Unemployment Rate 3.0%

Royal Oak, Michigan, forms part of the extended urban sprawl radiating from Detroit. But the community is no mere suburb. It ranks as the number 10 best home town in the state.

Despite its proximity to Detroit, which has a reputation as a dangerous city, the crime rate in Royal Oak is extremely low. At the same time, the city of 58,368 people has top-notch schools, with a score of 8/10 from Great Schools.

In terms of economics, the area sports a median income of $87,316 and a median home value of $249,900. The unemployment rate hovers at 3.0%. The cost of living sits right at the national average.

With just a 20-minute drive to downtown Detroit, Royal Oak offers access to everything a major city has to offer. At the same time, it has its own selling points. Want a nice summer stroll? Head to the local Huntington Woods. Or take a walk through the Detroit Zoo, which extends into Royal Oak.

More on Royal Oak: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in Michigan

Best Places To Live In Michigan Size Requirement

Before we even started to collect data on the best places to live in Michigan, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit Lansing with a population of 113,592 against places with a population of 18?

We firmly decided no, that just isn’t fair.

So to create our ranking, we broke the best places to live into three tiers:

  • Cities — Populations over 5,000
  • Towns — Populations between 1,000 and 5,000
  • Small Towns — Populations below 1,000

This left us with 151 cities, 257 towns, and 254 small towns.

We then decided, no matter how much anyone loves their town, the best cities to live in Michigan have more of everything and therefore you need to have over 5,000 people to truly be ‘the best’.

Now we also realize that city living might not be your cup of tea, so we ran the same analysis on the best towns and then again for the best small towns.

You can see the results of those best place rankings at the end of the article.

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Michigan

Now that we had our set of the best possible cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in Michigan across a number of criteria from one to 151, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Michigan”.

The criteria we looked to determine the best places were:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher better)
  • Unemployment Rate
  • Commute Time
  • Crime
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data. You can download the best places data here.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Michigan? That would be Huntington Woods.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Michigan.

Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Huntington Woods at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Summary: The Best Places In Michigan

If you’re looking at areas in Michigan with the best economic situations, where there’s lower than average crime, and a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

Huntington Woods made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Michigan for 2023.

Best Towns To Live In Michigan

  1. Pleasant Ridge (Pop. 2,562)
  2. Village of Grosse Pointe Shores (Pop. 2,933)
  3. DeWitt (Pop. 4,657)
  4. Franklin (Pop. 3,262)
  5. Frankenmuth (Pop. 4,992)
  6. Caledonia (Pop. 1,871)
  7. Spring Lake (Pop. 2,424)
  8. Lathrup Village (Pop. 4,127)
  9. Fruitport (Pop. 1,374)
  10. Bloomfield Hills (Pop. 3,984)

Best Small Towns To Live In Michigan

  1. Shoreham (Pop. 918)
  2. Eagle (Pop. 104)
  3. Barton Hills (Pop. 293)
  4. Lake Leelanau (Pop. 206)
  5. Richland (Pop. 858)
  6. Michiana (Pop. 187)
  7. Westphalia (Pop. 995)
  8. Village of Clarkston (Pop. 902)
  9. Lake Angelus (Pop. 260)
  10. Suttons Bay (Pop. 540)

If you’re curious enough, here are the worst places to live in Michigan according to the data:

  1. Detroit (Pop. 645,658)
  2. Highland Park (Pop. 9,304)
  3. Dowagiac (Pop. 5,731)

For more Michigan reading, check out:

Best Places To Live In Michigan

Rank City Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Huntington Woods 6,382 2.4% $386,100
2 Berkley 15,234 2.8% $238,200
3 Birmingham 21,728 4.6% $580,200
4 Beverly Hills 10,593 1.9% $403,100
5 East Grand Rapids 11,381 1.8% $409,200
6 Grosse Pointe Park 11,529 2.3% $380,900
7 Grosse Pointe Farms 10,018 2.2% $364,400
8 Grosse Pointe 5,597 3.3% $347,500
9 Plymouth 9,308 3.6% $362,000
10 Royal Oak 58,368 3.0% $249,900
11 Northville 6,106 3.6% $369,100
12 Frankenmuth 5,045 4.5% $224,500
13 Farmington 11,481 3.6% $228,400
14 Clawson 11,482 3.9% $204,700
15 Rochester 13,048 4.0% $393,700
16 Rochester Hills 75,990 3.7% $313,900
17 Grosse Pointe Woods 16,353 5.0% $274,000
18 Milford 6,511 2.3% $308,700
19 South Lyon 11,786 4.4% $220,800
20 Troy 86,912 3.9% $335,000
21 Chelsea 5,447 2.0% $256,300
22 Novi 65,369 4.5% $336,000
23 New Baltimore 12,147 3.5% $245,400
24 Farmington Hills 83,749 4.6% $280,100
25 Mason 8,307 3.5% $153,800
26 St. Joseph 7,868 1.2% $212,600
27 Ann Arbor 122,731 3.7% $366,600
28 St. Johns 7,700 1.9% $146,200
29 Trenton 18,489 3.6% $164,300
30 Grand Ledge 7,792 5.9% $161,300
31 Saline 9,072 6.0% $261,000
32 Livonia 95,294 5.1% $219,400
33 Grandville 16,043 1.8% $197,300
34 Zeeland 5,701 3.8% $182,900
35 Midland 42,425 4.5% $161,300
36 Petoskey 5,856 1.5% $219,300
37 Ferndale 19,414 3.8% $192,100
38 Walker 25,149 3.7% $213,100
39 Milan 6,156 5.3% $185,600
40 Walled Lake 7,263 4.9% $162,800
41 Riverview 12,465 4.3% $166,100
42 Howell 10,025 4.4% $198,900
43 Allen Park 28,431 5.5% $142,300
44 Wixom 16,853 2.3% $280,000
45 Rockford 6,131 8.0% $229,600
46 Grand Blanc 8,055 4.3% $199,900
47 Woodhaven 12,889 4.7% $184,400
48 St. Clair Shores 59,046 5.6% $157,000
49 Hudsonville 7,598 5.8% $180,300
50 Ludington 7,728 3.2% $150,200
51 Kingsford 5,159 5.0% $94,800
52 Flushing 8,356 6.1% $139,800
53 Brighton 7,462 2.4% $245,400
54 Norton Shores 25,040 4.6% $165,100
55 Grand Haven 10,935 5.5% $193,700
56 Marysville 9,925 5.4% $144,500
57 Tecumseh 8,645 6.5% $156,800
58 Iron Mountain 7,516 6.4% $96,600
59 St. Clair 5,489 6.6% $166,700
60 Holland 34,067 2.9% $179,400
61 Sterling Heights 134,062 5.8% $213,200
62 Manistee 6,230 5.8% $121,800
63 Dundee 5,252 5.2% $204,500
64 Wyandotte 24,992 4.4% $126,400
65 Kentwood 53,884 4.0% $186,000
66 Marquette 20,561 7.2% $192,200
67 Portage 48,767 6.5% $187,000
68 Fraser 14,703 5.2% $162,600
69 Oak Park 29,677 7.6% $143,700
70 Southgate 29,990 4.7% $133,300
71 Fenton 11,949 4.7% $168,800
72 Eaton Rapids 5,211 2.9% $117,000
73 East Lansing 47,427 7.2% $203,400
74 Gladstone 5,210 4.4% $96,000
75 Auburn Hills 24,202 5.4% $184,100
76 Davison 5,103 4.6% $128,100
77 Allegan 5,165 2.4% $137,900
78 Madison Heights 28,719 3.6% $149,500
79 Southfield 76,196 7.4% $176,000
80 Richmond 5,871 6.2% $192,400
81 Wyoming 76,625 5.2% $150,000
82 Marshall 6,832 8.5% $143,800
83 Big Rapids 9,105 7.0% $105,500
84 Holly 6,031 7.4% $133,400
85 Flat Rock 10,439 6.1% $159,000
86 Center Line 8,515 9.1% $110,800
87 St. Louis 7,435 5.2% $85,600
88 Swartz Creek 5,839 3.2% $125,600
89 Westland 84,961 4.9% $143,500
90 Utica 5,188 4.5% $173,600
91 Monroe 20,344 8.1% $134,100
92 Dearborn 107,985 7.0% $162,900
93 Charlotte 9,224 7.4% $115,100
94 Mount Pleasant 21,880 10.2% $141,600
95 Ishpeming 6,223 7.3% $92,900
96 Hillsdale 8,196 3.4% $108,600
97 Houghton 7,675 10.1% $173,200
98 Hastings 7,480 10.5% $120,900
99 Ionia 11,655 7.4% $122,200
100 Hazel Park 15,213 5.8% $104,800
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the best places to live in Michigan.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.