While big cities like Detroit offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Detroit. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Detroit without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Detroit are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Detroit area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Detroit for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Detroit? Huntington Woods ranks as the best suburb of Detroit for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Huntington Woods, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Detroit ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Michigan:
The 10 Best Detroit Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 6,365
Median Income: $184,815
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 1.6%
More on Huntington Woods: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Huntington Woods is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Detroit area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Huntington Woods.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $184,815 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Detroit region. And only 1.88% are out of work. Homes average more than $459,699 each.
/10
Population: 11,513
Median Income: $128,333
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Grosse Pointe Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Grosse Pointe Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Detroit for 2024.
It ranks 11th for incomes in the area and only 1.99% of residents lack insurance, good for 12th best.
/10
Population: 5,621
Median Income: $136,094
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 1.9%
More on Grosse Pointe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Grosse Pointe, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Detroit metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Grosse Pointe.
/10
Population: 10,018
Median Income: $156,465
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Grosse Pointe Farms: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Grosse Pointe Farms ranks as the 4th best suburb of Detroit for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Grosse Pointe Farms and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Village Of Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
/10
Population: 2,610
Median Income: $170,850
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 1.8%
More on Village Of Grosse Pointe Shores: Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Village of Grosse Pointe Shores.
Village of Grosse Pointe Shores gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Detroit area, where houses sell for an average of $745,997. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 10,550
Median Income: $162,364
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Beverly Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Beverly Hills is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.94%.
According to online reports, Beverly Hills is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Detroit area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 21,738
Median Income: $151,556
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Birmingham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Birmingham.
Birmingham schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 12.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 9,300
Median Income: $107,156
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Plymouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Plymouth is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.83% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
/10
Population: 15,150
Median Income: $108,125
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Berkley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Berkley?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 6,088
Median Income: $134,330
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Northville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Northville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Detroit for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Detroit was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Detroit.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 76 suburbs to evaluate around Detroit.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 76 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Detroit.” We’re lookin’ at you, Huntington Woods.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Detroit suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Detroit ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Detroit are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Detroit but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Table: Best Detroit Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods, MI | 6,365 | $184,815 | $459,699 |
| 2 | Grosse Pointe Park, MI | 11,513 | $128,333 | $451,199 |
| 3 | Grosse Pointe, MI | 5,621 | $136,094 | $421,780 |
| 4 | Grosse Pointe Farms, MI | 10,018 | $156,465 | $446,876 |
| 5 | Village Of Grosse Pointe Shores, MI | 2,610 | $170,850 | $745,997 |
| 6 | Beverly Hills, MI | 10,550 | $162,364 | $498,630 |
| 7 | Birmingham, MI | 21,738 | $151,556 | $600,237 |
| 8 | Plymouth, MI | 9,300 | $107,156 | $417,416 |
| 9 | Berkley, MI | 15,150 | $108,125 | $285,101 |
| 10 | Northville, MI | 6,088 | $134,330 | $514,916 |
| 11 | Franklin, MI | 2,653 | $178,167 | $760,958 |
| 12 | Pleasant Ridge, MI | 2,609 | $164,861 | $432,482 |
| 13 | Royal Oak, MI | 58,053 | $92,799 | $302,682 |
| 14 | Bloomfield Hills, MI | 4,402 | $200,054 | $569,983 |
| 15 | Grosse Pointe Woods, MI | 16,338 | $125,712 | $315,509 |
| 16 | Farmington, MI | 11,486 | $92,128 | $290,249 |
| 17 | South Lyon, MI | 11,788 | $82,753 | $434,616 |
| 18 | Lake Orion, MI | 2,915 | $94,925 | $366,451 |
| 19 | Rochester, MI | 12,978 | $102,838 | $428,006 |
| 20 | Rochester Hills, MI | 76,041 | $115,968 | $414,974 |
| 21 | Milford, MI | 6,483 | $98,054 | $425,893 |
| 22 | Clawson, MI | 11,388 | $82,713 | $261,691 |
| 23 | Novi, MI | 65,870 | $110,588 | $425,204 |
| 24 | Keego Harbor, MI | 2,771 | $67,841 | $209,967 |
| 25 | Troy, MI | 87,170 | $115,639 | $398,962 |
| 26 | Wolverine Lake, MI | 4,493 | $85,195 | $284,719 |
| 27 | Ferndale, MI | 19,264 | $86,120 | $236,307 |
| 28 | New Baltimore, MI | 12,104 | $90,028 | $325,237 |
| 29 | Livonia, MI | 94,928 | $92,458 | $278,535 |
| 30 | Farmington Hills, MI | 83,562 | $101,728 | $348,161 |
| 31 | Walled Lake, MI | 7,262 | $65,031 | $229,099 |
| 32 | St. Clair Shores, MI | 58,656 | $71,481 | $211,168 |
| 33 | Wixom, MI | 17,007 | $72,896 | $348,240 |
| 34 | Trenton, MI | 18,420 | $74,267 | $215,391 |
| 35 | Allen Park, MI | 28,395 | $73,792 | $190,218 |
| 36 | Rockwood, MI | 3,232 | $93,036 | $202,659 |
| 37 | Riverview, MI | 12,390 | $69,323 | $219,074 |
| 38 | Woodhaven, MI | 12,867 | $77,725 | $242,087 |
| 39 | South Rockwood, MI | 2,032 | $82,500 | $272,968 |
| 40 | Southgate, MI | 29,948 | $62,792 | $175,318 |
| 41 | Gibraltar, MI | 4,950 | $80,392 | $239,399 |
| 42 | Romeo, MI | 3,727 | $59,693 | $368,712 |
| 43 | Wyandotte, MI | 24,857 | $62,111 | $174,297 |
| 44 | Sterling Heights, MI | 133,744 | $75,381 | $278,499 |
| 45 | Oak Park, MI | 29,495 | $61,991 | $212,139 |
| 46 | Southfield, MI | 76,107 | $63,980 | $234,297 |
| 47 | Madison Heights, MI | 28,521 | $63,224 | $203,911 |
| 48 | Fraser, MI | 14,668 | $61,039 | $217,570 |
| 49 | Utica, MI | 5,195 | $52,247 | $247,172 |
| 50 | Auburn Hills, MI | 24,593 | $77,724 | $245,506 |
| 51 | Center Line, MI | 8,493 | $52,067 | $158,320 |
| 52 | Flat Rock, MI | 10,448 | $65,374 | $237,743 |
| 53 | Carleton, MI | 2,655 | $54,028 | $290,962 |
| 54 | Belleville, MI | 3,979 | $55,979 | $240,228 |
| 55 | Westland, MI | 84,806 | $59,930 | $194,197 |
| 56 | Ypsilanti, MI | 20,204 | $41,914 | $309,294 |
| 57 | Dearborn, MI | 108,414 | $64,600 | $213,451 |
| 58 | Harper Woods, MI | 15,296 | $60,030 | $146,667 |
| 59 | Hazel Park, MI | 15,065 | $59,576 | $154,739 |
| 60 | Roseville, MI | 47,476 | $57,274 | $159,392 |
| 61 | Dearborn Heights, MI | 62,474 | $58,335 | $186,873 |
| 62 | Warren, MI | 138,588 | $61,633 | $187,656 |
| 63 | Eastpointe, MI | 34,087 | $57,953 | $143,733 |
| 64 | Lincoln Park, MI | 39,807 | $55,777 | $137,851 |
| 65 | Mount Clemens, MI | 15,679 | $55,154 | $156,898 |
| 66 | New Haven, MI | 6,200 | $63,424 | $280,596 |
| 67 | Taylor, MI | 62,937 | $59,352 | $161,574 |
| 68 | Romulus, MI | 25,055 | $63,854 | $179,648 |
| 69 | Hamtramck, MI | 27,842 | $39,648 | $157,381 |
| 70 | Wayne, MI | 17,568 | $52,709 | $153,609 |
| 71 | Melvindale, MI | 12,639 | $38,918 | $127,178 |
| 72 | Inkster, MI | 25,839 | $38,381 | $86,767 |
| 73 | Ecorse, MI | 9,292 | $45,473 | $69,697 |
| 74 | Highland Park, MI | 9,032 | $30,341 | $67,728 |
| 75 | Pontiac, MI | 61,965 | $40,307 | $114,719 |
| 76 | River Rouge, MI | 7,200 | $26,343 | $62,263 |