There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Michigan that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Wolverine State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Michigan’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Norton Shores, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Michigan according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Norton Shores. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Michigan as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
40.6 median age · 47.0% married households · #58 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Muskegon County, Michigan
Norton Shores is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,994 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
45.4 median age · 46.0% married households · #16 oldest in Michigan
Located in
St. Clair County, Michigan
Coordinates: 425445N 822913W 42.91250; -82.48694
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.0 median age · 43.0% married households · #12 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Oakland County, Michigan
Beverly Hills is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,267 making it by far the most populous village in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.2 median age · 32.0% married households · #11 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Genesee County, Michigan
Swartz Creek is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,758 at the 2010 census. The city is a suburb of Flint and has incorporated land formerly within Flint Charter Township, Gaines Township, and Clayton Township, but is administratively autonomous from all three.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
53.6 median age · 47.0% married households · #1 oldest in Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
48.9 median age · 46.0% married households · #3 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Farms is a suburban town bordering Detroit located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,479 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Canada and Lake Saint Clair on the south and east, Grosse Pointe on the west, Detroit on the north, and Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores on the northeast. Lakeshore Drive begins in Grosse Pointe Farms, where, just east of Fisher Road, the eastbound driver or pedestrian on Jefferson Avenue descends to lake level, following the curvature of the lakefront to the northeast.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.7 median age · 47.0% married households · #22 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Eaton County, Michigan
Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County, and sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles directly west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,786 at the 2010 census. The city is well known for, and named for, its 300-million-year-old, sandstone and quartzite rock ledges that rise 60 feet above the Grand River and are used by recreational rock climbers.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
51.2 median age · 36.0% married households · #2 oldest in Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.0 median age · 38.0% married households · #7 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Northville is a city located in and divided by Oakland and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The area is a suburb of Metropolitan Detroit. The population was 5,970 at the 2010 census. Most of the city is in Oakland County and is surrounded by the city of Novi, while the other part is in Wayne County is surrounded by Northville Township. Northville is served by Northville Public Schools. The city is located 21 miles northeast of Ann Arbor and 29 miles northwest of Detroit.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.0 median age · 39.0% married households · #52 oldest in Michigan
Located in
Emmet County, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,670 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in Michigan
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Wolverine State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Michigan. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Michigan city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Michigan.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Michigan For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norton Shores | 29.20 | 25,041 | 40.6 | 47.0% | 31.2% |
| 2 | Marysville | 34.90 | 9,925 | 45.4 | 46.0% | 27.2% |
| 3 | Beverly Hills | 35.90 | 10,524 | 46.0 | 43.0% | 37.3% |
| 4 | Swartz Creek | 37.40 | 5,853 | 46.2 | 32.0% | 32.6% |
| 5 | Frankenmuth | 37.50 | 5,157 | 53.6 | 47.0% | 18.1% |
| 6 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 38.00 | 9,904 | 48.9 | 46.0% | 29.5% |
| 7 | Grand Ledge | 40.70 | 7,804 | 44.7 | 47.0% | 25.2% |
| 8 | Chelsea | 41.20 | 5,426 | 51.2 | 36.0% | 18.7% |
| 9 | Northville | 41.20 | 6,069 | 47.0 | 38.0% | 28.2% |
| 10 | Petoskey | 43.80 | 5,856 | 41.0 | 39.0% | 25.9% |
| 11 | Gladstone | 45.00 | 5,253 | 43.8 | 37.0% | 24.9% |
| 12 | Marshall | 46.10 | 6,804 | 46.5 | 35.0% | 17.7% |
| 13 | Huntington Woods | 46.50 | 6,328 | 45.7 | 47.0% | 33.5% |
| 14 | Iron Mountain | 46.60 | 7,518 | 43.5 | 30.0% | 27.1% |
| 15 | St. Johns | 47.00 | 7,715 | 44.3 | 40.0% | 25.1% |
| 16 | Tecumseh | 47.90 | 8,646 | 39.1 | 37.0% | 27.8% |
| 17 | Alpena | 48.10 | 10,154 | 46.0 | 30.0% | 18.8% |
| 18 | Grand Haven | 48.20 | 10,996 | 46.8 | 37.0% | 18.2% |
| 19 | Trenton | 49.30 | 18,125 | 48.2 | 41.0% | 23.5% |
| 20 | Rockford | 49.70 | 6,218 | 38.5 | 46.0% | 33.6% |
| 21 | New Baltimore | 49.90 | 12,072 | 44.7 | 44.0% | 26.3% |
| 22 | Ludington | 50.10 | 7,676 | 45.3 | 37.0% | 24.5% |
| 23 | Woodhaven | 50.20 | 12,690 | 45.6 | 36.0% | 22.1% |
| 24 | Milford | 50.50 | 6,487 | 41.1 | 41.0% | 27.4% |
| 25 | Burton | 50.60 | 29,500 | 43.7 | 32.0% | 25.3% |
| 26 | Brighton | 51.30 | 7,688 | 47.4 | 34.0% | 18.9% |
| 27 | Flat Rock | 51.60 | 10,340 | 39.3 | 42.0% | 31.0% |
| 28 | Livonia | 53.60 | 93,851 | 44.8 | 38.0% | 24.1% |
| 29 | Romulus | 54.20 | 24,831 | 37.9 | 35.0% | 33.7% |
| 30 | St. Clair | 54.60 | 5,585 | 42.0 | 37.0% | 27.9% |
| 31 | Manistee | 54.60 | 6,275 | 45.0 | 36.0% | 24.9% |
| 32 | Lapeer | 55.90 | 9,082 | 39.8 | 31.0% | 26.4% |
| 33 | Midland | 56.20 | 42,724 | 39.3 | 35.0% | 26.8% |
| 34 | Allen Park | 57.20 | 27,925 | 43.1 | 39.0% | 27.2% |
| 35 | Riverview | 57.50 | 12,186 | 40.6 | 37.0% | 28.0% |
| 36 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 57.50 | 16,094 | 43.6 | 42.0% | 28.1% |
| 37 | Richmond | 58.70 | 5,855 | 39.7 | 34.0% | 27.4% |
| 38 | Saline | 58.80 | 9,006 | 46.7 | 27.0% | 22.9% |
| 39 | Escanaba | 59.00 | 12,354 | 44.4 | 29.0% | 20.7% |
| 40 | Belding | 59.10 | 5,960 | 38.0 | 28.0% | 32.1% |
| 41 | Eaton Rapids | 59.40 | 5,183 | 41.3 | 32.0% | 27.6% |
| 42 | Zeeland | 59.70 | 5,665 | 37.1 | 40.0% | 31.6% |
| 43 | Flushing | 59.80 | 8,284 | 39.6 | 43.0% | 26.8% |
| 44 | Holly | 59.90 | 5,964 | 41.2 | 37.0% | 22.6% |
| 45 | Hudsonville | 60.50 | 7,769 | 32.3 | 50.0% | 41.2% |
| 46 | Milan | 61.50 | 5,987 | 38.1 | 34.0% | 27.3% |
| 47 | Mason | 62.00 | 8,249 | 40.7 | 33.0% | 25.1% |
| 48 | Portage | 62.10 | 49,259 | 38.5 | 33.0% | 27.7% |
| 49 | Walker | 62.60 | 25,386 | 36.9 | 36.0% | 25.0% |
| 50 | Novi | 62.60 | 66,717 | 40.0 | 22.0% | 34.9% |
| 51 | Dundee | 63.60 | 5,744 | 35.4 | 30.0% | 33.1% |
| 52 | Kingsford | 63.70 | 5,124 | 40.7 | 35.0% | 24.1% |
| 53 | Rochester Hills | 63.80 | 77,089 | 41.0 | 30.0% | 30.8% |
| 54 | Farmington Hills | 64.50 | 83,515 | 42.6 | 28.0% | 25.2% |
| 55 | Fraser | 65.00 | 14,583 | 43.0 | 33.0% | 25.7% |
| 56 | Fenton | 65.30 | 11,906 | 38.8 | 35.0% | 26.5% |
| 57 | Grandville | 65.30 | 16,356 | 34.1 | 43.0% | 30.4% |
| 58 | Troy | 65.70 | 87,898 | 42.0 | 24.0% | 31.5% |
| 59 | Davison | 65.80 | 5,076 | 42.2 | 30.0% | 28.4% |
| 60 | Howell | 65.80 | 10,021 | 40.8 | 32.0% | 20.2% |
| 61 | Menominee | 65.90 | 8,326 | 47.2 | 17.0% | 22.1% |
| 62 | Grosse Pointe | 66.00 | 5,541 | 43.8 | 40.0% | 27.9% |
| 63 | St. Clair Shores | 66.20 | 58,140 | 43.8 | 38.0% | 20.6% |
| 64 | Ishpeming | 66.50 | 6,181 | 34.8 | 34.0% | 30.4% |
| 65 | Wayne | 66.50 | 17,310 | 42.5 | 31.0% | 25.3% |
| 66 | Plymouth | 67.00 | 9,214 | 44.5 | 31.0% | 27.3% |
| 67 | Cadillac | 67.00 | 10,445 | 40.7 | 30.0% | 24.5% |
| 68 | Grosse Pointe Park | 67.00 | 11,319 | 41.4 | 40.0% | 29.3% |
| 69 | St. Louis | 67.30 | 7,367 | 37.5 | 18.0% | 29.5% |
| 70 | Coldwater | 67.70 | 13,671 | 39.5 | 21.0% | 31.3% |
| 71 | Greenville | 68.20 | 8,995 | 37.5 | 31.0% | 26.7% |
| 72 | Monroe | 68.60 | 20,320 | 37.6 | 32.0% | 30.1% |
| 73 | Charlotte | 69.50 | 9,277 | 34.4 | 33.0% | 33.0% |
| 74 | Birmingham | 69.50 | 21,763 | 41.8 | 33.0% | 28.4% |
| 75 | Grand Blanc | 69.60 | 7,987 | 39.3 | 33.0% | 29.5% |
| 76 | East Grand Rapids | 70.90 | 11,445 | 37.0 | 44.0% | 50.3% |
| 77 | New Haven | 71.20 | 6,475 | 30.2 | 39.0% | 53.8% |
| 78 | Utica | 71.30 | 5,180 | 45.3 | 25.0% | 18.3% |
| 79 | Dowagiac | 71.40 | 5,732 | 37.2 | 22.0% | 27.4% |
| 80 | Hastings | 73.20 | 7,520 | 37.5 | 34.0% | 23.7% |
| 81 | Battle Creek | 73.30 | 52,374 | 38.0 | 23.0% | 28.4% |
| 82 | Southgate | 73.90 | 29,366 | 39.2 | 35.0% | 26.3% |
| 83 | Sterling Heights | 73.90 | 133,573 | 41.7 | 26.0% | 27.1% |
| 84 | South Lyon | 74.30 | 11,950 | 41.8 | 36.0% | 24.7% |
| 85 | Ionia | 74.40 | 12,753 | 36.6 | 25.0% | 26.6% |
| 86 | Berkley | 74.40 | 15,149 | 37.8 | 40.0% | 24.9% |
| 87 | Mount Clemens | 75.20 | 15,511 | 42.0 | 29.0% | 21.3% |
| 88 | Owosso | 75.80 | 14,632 | 38.9 | 32.0% | 27.6% |
| 89 | Allegan | 76.40 | 5,172 | 33.0 | 32.0% | 30.2% |
| 90 | Rochester | 77.10 | 12,934 | 41.2 | 29.0% | 27.0% |
| 91 | Walled Lake | 77.90 | 7,299 | 40.4 | 24.0% | 22.9% |
| 92 | St. Joseph | 78.50 | 7,986 | 42.7 | 21.0% | 14.9% |
| 93 | Farmington | 78.70 | 11,504 | 39.0 | 29.0% | 24.6% |
| 94 | Roseville | 79.60 | 47,123 | 41.0 | 30.0% | 24.6% |
| 95 | Southfield | 79.60 | 76,236 | 42.3 | 22.0% | 21.4% |
| 96 | Warren | 81.30 | 137,928 | 38.3 | 26.0% | 28.5% |
| 97 | Taylor | 81.70 | 62,081 | 37.9 | 28.0% | 28.1% |
| 98 | Wyandotte | 82.10 | 24,489 | 39.3 | 33.0% | 24.2% |
| 99 | Wixom | 82.50 | 17,295 | 35.5 | 25.0% | 16.6% |
| 100 | Springfield | 83.20 | 5,269 | 31.2 | 25.0% | 32.5% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 150 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Michigan isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Michigan are Norton Shores, Marysville, Beverly Hills, Swartz Creek, Frankenmuth, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grand Ledge, Chelsea, Northville, and Petoskey.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Michigan, according to science. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Boring Places In Michigan FAQs
What is the most boring place in Michigan?
Norton Shores is the most boring place in Michigan for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. 47.0% of its households are married, which is exactly the kind of statistic that earns boring points.
What are the most boring cities in Michigan?
The most boring places in Michigan are Norton Shores, Marysville, Beverly Hills, Swartz Creek, Frankenmuth, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grand Ledge, Chelsea, Northville, and Petoskey. We ranked all 150 places with more than 5,000 residents.
What makes a town boring?
Older residents, lots of married households, lots of families with kids, and low population density. In other words, quiet — measured with Census American Community Survey data.
What is the most exciting place in Michigan?
East Lansing sits at the other end of the Boring Score, making it the most exciting place in Michigan by our measure. Interpret that however you like.
Is being boring bad?
Not really. The traits that score boring points — settled neighbors, families, quiet streets — are the same things plenty of people move for. Take this as Saturday Night Science, not a verdict.
