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Michigan is famous for many reasons: it is one of the snowiest states in America, it borders four of The Great Lakes, and it has some of the best places to retire.
Whether you're a fan of long summer nights, long winters, long naps, or you're just 'Smitten with The Mitten,' Michigan has an ideal place for every retiree. Needless to say, it was very difficult to narrow down the top ten best places to retire in Michigan for 2023.
But, HomeSnacks did it. How'd we determine the best places to retire in Michigan? Well, we know that when people are searching for the best places to retire, they are also looking for things like convenience, affordable healthcare, and an economy that protects their bottom line. So, to identify Michigan's top ten, we consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 88 cities. We looked at important factors like cost of living, crime, amenities, rent and distance to closest national airport for every place with over 10,000 residents. Incidentally, this is our tenth time ranking the best places to retire in The Great Lakes State, so believe us when we say that these are the best of the best.
We discovered that people in this demographic are starting to move to bigger cities so that they have better access to public transportation, healthcare options, and programs designed especially for them. This trend is happening in Michigan, and this is why we find most of the state's best places to retire centered around Detroit. But, there are other areas in this flyover state that are just great. So definitely give places like Marquette and Midland a second look.
So, where are the best places to retire in Michigan? Keep reading.
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Michigan For 2023
Why did Clawson take the top spot? And where are Detroit and Grand Rapids?
When you choose to live in one of Michigan's best places to retire, you are choosing to live where your dollar will go the furthest, where your safety is a priority, and where you will have the most fun.
So, where is the best place to retire in Michigan? According to the latest data, Clawson is the best place to retire in MIchigan for 2023.
To see how your favorite places in Michigan compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.
For more Michigan state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Michigan
- Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Michigan For 2023
/10
Population: 11,482
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 2)
Median Rent: $968
Distance to Closest Airport: 13 miles
More on Clawson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,147
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $848
Distance to Closest Airport: 18 miles
More on New Baltimore: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 42,425
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $870
Distance to Closest Airport: 9 miles
More on Midland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 18,489
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Rent: $812
Distance to Closest Airport: 37 miles
More on Trenton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,181
Rank Last Year: -
Median Rent: $589
Distance to Closest Airport: 110 miles
More on Alpena: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 13,048
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $1,101
Distance to Closest Airport: 11 miles
More on Rochester: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 11,786
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Rent: $1,064
Distance to Closest Airport: 20 miles
More on South Lyon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 29,009
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $877
Distance to Closest Airport: 7 miles
More on Port Huron: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 14,703
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Rent: $746
Distance to Closest Airport: 22 miles
More on Fraser: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 21,728
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Rent: $1,747
Distance to Closest Airport: 10 miles
More on Birmingham: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Wolverine State for 2023
To create our list of the best places in Michigan to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Wolverine State -- 692 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. This left us with 88 places from across the state.
For these 88, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criteria from one to 88, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Clawson, with the lowest average rank was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second careers. You can download the data here.
Summary: Maybe You're Not Ready To Retire In Michigan Yet...
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Michigan goes to Clawson.
If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- Muskegon Heights
- Portage
- Inkster
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Michigan?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clawson | 11,482 |
| 2 | New Baltimore | 12,147 |
| 3 | Midland | 42,425 |
| 4 | Trenton | 18,489 |
| 5 | Alpena | 10,181 |
| 6 | Rochester | 13,048 |
| 7 | South Lyon | 11,786 |
| 8 | Port Huron | 29,009 |
| 9 | Fraser | 14,703 |
| 10 | Birmingham | 21,728 |
