The 10 Best Places To Live In Michigan For 2024


The best places to live in Michigan for 2024 are Huntington Woods, East Grand Rapids, 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.

Crystal-clear lakes, lush pine forests, and friendly people aside, Michigan’s top places have a lot to offer.

We used Saturday Night Science to rank the best places in Michigan based on data from the Census, FBI, and Zillow. We considered factors like a strong job market, low crime rates, and plenty of things to do.

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


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Table | Map | Methodology | Summary


What city is the best place to live in Michigan for 2024? The best place to live in Michigan is Huntington Woods.

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.

For more reading, check out:

The 10 Best Places To Live In Michigan For 2024

Best Places To Live In Michigan Map

Huntington Woods, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Darren56brown | CC BY-SA 4.0
StatHuntington WoodsMichigan
Population6,36510,057,921
Rank Last Year1
Median Home Value$459,699$233,858
Median Income$184,815$68,505
Unemployment Rate1.9%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.00570.0182

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

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 6,365 highly educated residents, the median income in The City of Homes is close to $184,815 and the median home price is $459,699.

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.

East Grand Rapids, MI

Source: Wikipedia User WMrapids | CC BY-SA 4.0
StatEast Grand RapidsMichigan
Population11,38510,057,921
Rank Last Year4
Median Home Value$572,507$233,858
Median Income$160,417$68,505
Unemployment Rate1.9%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.01120.0182

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

Located just East of Grand Rapids is Michigan’s 2nd best city — East Grand Rapids. While it is not the number one best city in Michigan for 2024, it has the 3rd highest household income at $160,417 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 2nd 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.

Birmingham, MI

Source: Wikipedia User OmidGul | CC BY-SA 4.0
StatBirminghamMichigan
Population21,73810,057,921
Rank Last Year2
Median Home Value$600,237$233,858
Median Income$151,556$68,505
Unemployment Rate4.2%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.00920.0182

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

Moving into first as the #3 best city to live in Michigan is Birmingham. Located southeast of Detroit in Oakland County with over 21,738 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.

Berkley, MI

Source: Wikipedia User JessicaStilger | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatBerkleyMichigan
Population15,15010,057,921
Rank Last Year5
Median Home Value$285,101$233,858
Median Income$108,125$68,505
Unemployment Rate3.0%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.00550.0182

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

Where the MI-1 and Eleven Mile meet 25 minutes northeast of Detroit is the 4th 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 43rd lowest in the state–expect to pay $285,101 for a nice single family home. And, crime? There were only 83 recorded at the time of this report.

Beverly Hills, MI

Source: Flickr User Ken Lund | CC BY-SA 2.0
StatBeverly HillsMichigan
Population10,55010,057,921
Rank Last Year3
Median Home Value$498,630$233,858
Median Income$162,364$68,505
Unemployment Rate1.9%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.00890.0182

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

“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 so that it’s the 5th best place in the state for 2024.

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 8th best in the state at 1.9% and that the median income is $162,364/year–so, it is doable.

Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Appraiser | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatGrosse Pointe FarmsMichigan
Population10,01810,057,921
Rank Last Year7
Median Home Value$446,876$233,858
Median Income$156,465$68,505
Unemployment Rate2.7%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.01050.0182

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

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 6th 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 105 crimes recorded at the time of this report. The unemployment rate is 2.7% and most residents make $156,465/year.

Grosse Pointe Park, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Umdet | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatGrosse Pointe ParkMichigan
Population11,51310,057,921
Rank Last Year6
Median Home Value$451,199$233,858
Median Income$128,333$68,505
Unemployment Rate2.3%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.01460.0182

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

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 7th 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 7th best median home price at $451,199 and the people here make a lot of money–like a median income of $128,333/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….)

Northville, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Dave Parker | GFDL
StatNorthvilleMichigan
Population6,08810,057,921
Rank Last Year10
Median Home Value$514,916$233,858
Median Income$134,330$68,505
Unemployment Rate3.4%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.00640.0182

More on Northville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

8th best place to live, Northville–we promise you won’t be disappointed, and here are a few of the reasons why: affordability, safety, and amenities. Northville is the perfect storm–it is close enough to Detroit to take advantage of the “big city’s” night-life, but far enough away to feel like you live in your own little slice of heaven. And that piece of heaven includes a crime rate below the national average and the 3rd best median home price in the state at $514,916.

It also includes some super cool things to do when you’re not busy making the city’s median income of $134,330/year: like, hiking and biking Maybury State Park in the summer or spending your winters taking your snowmobile for runs on some of the best trails in The Great Lake(s) State.

Plymouth, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Dave Parker | GFDL
StatPlymouthMichigan
Population9,30010,057,921
Rank Last Year9
Median Home Value$417,416$233,858
Median Income$107,156$68,505
Unemployment Rate3.1%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.01110.0182

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

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 15th best in the state–you can get a quality single family home for $417,416. To put the city’s crime rate in perspective, there were only 103 crimes reported at the time we pulled Plymouth’s numbers making this small town of 9,300 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.

Grosse Pointe, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Umdet | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatGrosse PointeMichigan
Population5,62110,057,921
Rank Last Year8
Median Home Value$421,780$233,858
Median Income$136,094$68,505
Unemployment Rate4.0%6.0%
Crime Per Capita0.01710.0182

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

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 10 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 $136,094. That represent the 6th highest in Michigan. The median home value hovers at $421,780, the state’s 14th 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 5,621 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.

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 112,986, 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 filter left 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 over 5,000 people to truly be ‘the best.’

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 using Saturday Night Science.

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, crowning the city posting the lowest overall score, the “Best Place To Live In Michigan.”

The criteria we looked to determine the best places were:

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

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data, FBI Crime Data, and Zillow. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking Michigan’s best places to live.

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.

The best places to live in Michigan are Huntington Woods, East Grand Rapids, Birmingham, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Northville, Plymouth, and Grosse Pointe.

Huntington Woods made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Michigan for 2024.

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

  1. Detroit (Pop. 636,787)
  2. Dowagiac (Pop. 5,680)
  3. Highland Park (Pop. 9,032)

For more Michigan reading, check out:

Best Places To Live In Michigan Table

RankCityPopulationUnemployment RateHome ValueMedian IncomeRentCrime Per Capita
1Huntington Woods6,3651.9%$459,699$184,815$2,2660.0057
2East Grand Rapids11,3851.9%$572,507$160,417$1,7000.0112
3Birmingham21,7384.2%$600,237$151,556$1,8030.0092
4Berkley15,1503.0%$285,101$108,125$1,3090.0055
5Beverly Hills10,5501.9%$498,630$162,364$1,5290.0089
6Grosse Pointe Farms10,0182.7%$446,876$156,465$1,5280.0105
7Grosse Pointe Park11,5132.3%$451,199$128,333$1,4170.0146
8Northville6,0883.4%$514,916$134,330$1,2450.0064
9Plymouth9,3003.1%$417,416$107,156$1,0440.0111
10Grosse Pointe5,6214.0%$421,780$136,094$1,6240.0171
11Royal Oak58,0533.0%$302,682$92,799$1,2600.0092
12Farmington11,4863.0%$290,249$92,128$1,2280.0072
13South Lyon11,7883.6%$434,616$82,753$1,1530.0053
14Rochester Hills76,0413.9%$414,974$115,968$1,4970.0074
15Rochester12,9784.0%$428,006$102,838$1,1580.0047
16Grosse Pointe Woods16,3386.0%$315,509$125,712$1,7170.0107
17Clawson11,3884.2%$261,691$82,713$1,1290.0060
18Grand Ledge7,7955.4%$272,097$71,179$9340.0069
19Novi65,8704.3%$425,204$110,588$1,5840.0093
20Chelsea5,4401.3%$364,698$71,379$1,5640.0081
21New Baltimore12,1044.3%$325,237$90,028$9450.0036
22Frankenmuth5,0645.7%$296,452$80,956$8190.0148
23Milford6,4833.0%$425,893$98,054$1,0520.0108
24Saline8,9735.7%$423,142$88,388$1,0730.0089
25Troy87,1703.9%$398,962$115,639$1,4610.0161
26Petoskey5,8591.2%$393,626$69,784$8940.0060
27St. Joseph7,8521.4%$300,114$79,103$9480.0162
28Zeeland5,7012.8%$336,250$60,505$9000.0088
29Farmington Hills83,5624.8%$348,161$101,728$1,4010.0129
30Ann Arbor122,2163.7%$479,804$78,546$1,4720.0200
31Trenton18,4203.3%$215,391$74,267$8540.0068
32Livonia94,9285.0%$278,535$92,458$1,2350.0194
33Walled Lake7,2622.4%$229,099$65,031$1,2370.0091
34Flushing8,3496.6%$216,845$75,813$9330.0060
35Grandville16,0171.4%$332,792$76,344$1,0160.0325
36Hudsonville7,6336.0%$367,928$86,000$1,1750.0126
37St. Johns7,7112.7%$245,248$60,991$8770.0082
38Rockford6,1448.4%$386,671$100,380$1,0790.0076
39Mason8,2844.0%$247,725$75,000$1,0480.0091
40Brighton7,4862.8%$396,691$74,022$1,1790.0148
41Midland42,4044.5%$215,605$71,809$9520.0091
42St. Clair5,4965.4%$283,763$71,771$1,0900.0073
43St. Clair Shores58,6564.7%$211,168$71,481$1,1350.0103
44Wixom17,0072.7%$348,240$72,896$9120.0133
45Walker25,1753.4%$311,743$72,020$1,0660.0301
46Grand Haven10,9615.1%$342,638$57,650$9200.0126
47Ferndale19,2643.7%$236,307$86,120$1,2380.0227
48Holland34,1862.3%$321,850$69,152$1,0650.0164
49Kingsford5,1273.6%$132,625$59,106$7490.0031
50Marysville9,9734.6%$212,826$67,548$9330.0088
51Milan6,1536.5%$251,182$89,600$9860.0122
52Howell10,0674.4%$348,579$53,953$1,0900.0112
53Riverview12,3903.2%$219,074$69,323$9660.0128
54Grand Blanc8,0345.8%$262,470$70,518$8160.0098
55Woodhaven12,8675.0%$242,087$77,725$1,0590.0130
56Allen Park28,3956.0%$190,218$73,792$1,1550.0181
57Ludington7,6914.1%$263,304$49,503$8380.0122
58Norton Shores24,9845.2%$257,972$72,699$1,1340.0257
59Iron Mountain7,5224.7%$138,100$53,215$7060.0000
60Fenton11,9674.7%$330,634$76,195$1,1880.0142
61Wyandotte24,8574.1%$174,297$62,111$9330.0110
62Marquette20,6735.9%$288,904$51,599$9440.0087
63Tecumseh8,6786.8%$228,128$65,638$9560.0052
64Portage48,9366.1%$271,509$74,837$1,0620.0362
65Swartz Creek5,8650.9%$218,680$70,210$9370.0547
66Kentwood54,0424.5%$293,250$66,945$1,1230.0267
67Sterling Heights133,7445.9%$278,499$75,381$1,2150.0136
68Marshall6,8067.2%$220,197$72,813$9030.0137
69Richmond5,8526.1%$276,790$64,154$8420.0046
70Holly5,9977.7%$286,258$58,957$8680.0040
71Fraser14,6684.8%$217,570$61,039$7820.0167
72East Lansing45,4036.7%$269,481$44,094$1,0800.0210
73Utica5,1954.2%$247,172$52,247$9440.0275
74Oak Park29,4959.9%$212,139$61,991$1,2740.0253
75Southgate29,9484.8%$175,318$62,792$1,0480.0231
76Gladstone5,2313.8%$162,888$59,133$8200.0065
77Big Rapids7,9157.2%$191,904$36,058$7320.0037
78Madison Heights28,5213.6%$203,911$63,224$1,0950.0211
79Southfield76,1076.5%$234,297$63,980$1,2490.0311
80Allegan5,1802.7%$235,225$42,162$9650.0097
81Manistee6,2487.3%$227,978$57,813$7750.0296
82Wyoming76,7324.6%$245,215$67,234$1,0700.0224
83Center Line8,4936.4%$158,320$52,067$7200.0195
84Eaton Rapids5,2012.8%$231,272$62,708$9300.0217
85Auburn Hills24,5935.1%$245,506$77,724$1,2990.0241
86Charlotte9,2736.2%$217,499$65,507$7980.0228
87Dundee5,4087.5%$261,298$73,641$1,0750.0169
88Hillsdale8,0053.6%$183,760$47,205$7650.0139
89Houghton8,30311.8%$209,785$29,821$8190.0072
90Ishpeming6,1917.7%$155,185$53,202$5990.0097
91Menominee8,4294.1%$151,178$46,821$7020.0176
92Westland84,8065.2%$194,197$59,930$1,0670.0172
93St. Louis6,9326.1%$139,183$47,662$7690.0078
94Dearborn108,4146.8%$213,451$64,600$1,2050.0218
95Hastings7,5046.5%$198,616$54,118$7250.0187
96Grand Rapids198,0965.6%$262,762$61,634$1,1380.0396
97Flat Rock10,4487.6%$237,743$65,374$8760.0169
98Davison5,1148.2%$231,702$48,750$8250.0127
99Owosso14,6784.5%$159,765$51,794$8060.0212
100Monroe20,4007.8%$200,178$57,779$8700.0169

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.