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
Stat Huntington Woods Michigan
Population 6,365 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 1
Median Home Value $459,699 $233,858
Median Income $184,815 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 1.9% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0057 0.0182

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
Stat East Grand Rapids Michigan
Population 11,385 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 4
Median Home Value $572,507 $233,858
Median Income $160,417 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 1.9% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0112 0.0182

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
Stat Birmingham Michigan
Population 21,738 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 2
Median Home Value $600,237 $233,858
Median Income $151,556 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 4.2% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0092 0.0182

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
Stat Berkley Michigan
Population 15,150 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 5
Median Home Value $285,101 $233,858
Median Income $108,125 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 3.0% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0055 0.0182

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
Stat Beverly Hills Michigan
Population 10,550 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 3
Median Home Value $498,630 $233,858
Median Income $162,364 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 1.9% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0089 0.0182

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
Stat Grosse Pointe Farms Michigan
Population 10,018 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 7
Median Home Value $446,876 $233,858
Median Income $156,465 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 2.7% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0105 0.0182

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
Stat Grosse Pointe Park Michigan
Population 11,513 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 6
Median Home Value $451,199 $233,858
Median Income $128,333 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 2.3% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0146 0.0182

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
Stat Northville Michigan
Population 6,088 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 10
Median Home Value $514,916 $233,858
Median Income $134,330 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 3.4% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0064 0.0182

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
Stat Plymouth Michigan
Population 9,300 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 9
Median Home Value $417,416 $233,858
Median Income $107,156 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 3.1% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0111 0.0182

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
Stat Grosse Pointe Michigan
Population 5,621 10,057,921
Rank Last Year 8
Median Home Value $421,780 $233,858
Median Income $136,094 $68,505
Unemployment Rate 4.0% 6.0%
Crime Per Capita 0.0171 0.0182

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

Rank City Population Unemployment Rate Home Value Median Income Rent Crime Per Capita
1 Huntington Woods 6,365 1.9% $459,699 $184,815 $2,266 0.0057
2 East Grand Rapids 11,385 1.9% $572,507 $160,417 $1,700 0.0112
3 Birmingham 21,738 4.2% $600,237 $151,556 $1,803 0.0092
4 Berkley 15,150 3.0% $285,101 $108,125 $1,309 0.0055
5 Beverly Hills 10,550 1.9% $498,630 $162,364 $1,529 0.0089
6 Grosse Pointe Farms 10,018 2.7% $446,876 $156,465 $1,528 0.0105
7 Grosse Pointe Park 11,513 2.3% $451,199 $128,333 $1,417 0.0146
8 Northville 6,088 3.4% $514,916 $134,330 $1,245 0.0064
9 Plymouth 9,300 3.1% $417,416 $107,156 $1,044 0.0111
10 Grosse Pointe 5,621 4.0% $421,780 $136,094 $1,624 0.0171
11 Royal Oak 58,053 3.0% $302,682 $92,799 $1,260 0.0092
12 Farmington 11,486 3.0% $290,249 $92,128 $1,228 0.0072
13 South Lyon 11,788 3.6% $434,616 $82,753 $1,153 0.0053
14 Rochester Hills 76,041 3.9% $414,974 $115,968 $1,497 0.0074
15 Rochester 12,978 4.0% $428,006 $102,838 $1,158 0.0047
16 Grosse Pointe Woods 16,338 6.0% $315,509 $125,712 $1,717 0.0107
17 Clawson 11,388 4.2% $261,691 $82,713 $1,129 0.0060
18 Grand Ledge 7,795 5.4% $272,097 $71,179 $934 0.0069
19 Novi 65,870 4.3% $425,204 $110,588 $1,584 0.0093
20 Chelsea 5,440 1.3% $364,698 $71,379 $1,564 0.0081
21 New Baltimore 12,104 4.3% $325,237 $90,028 $945 0.0036
22 Frankenmuth 5,064 5.7% $296,452 $80,956 $819 0.0148
23 Milford 6,483 3.0% $425,893 $98,054 $1,052 0.0108
24 Saline 8,973 5.7% $423,142 $88,388 $1,073 0.0089
25 Troy 87,170 3.9% $398,962 $115,639 $1,461 0.0161
26 Petoskey 5,859 1.2% $393,626 $69,784 $894 0.0060
27 St. Joseph 7,852 1.4% $300,114 $79,103 $948 0.0162
28 Zeeland 5,701 2.8% $336,250 $60,505 $900 0.0088
29 Farmington Hills 83,562 4.8% $348,161 $101,728 $1,401 0.0129
30 Ann Arbor 122,216 3.7% $479,804 $78,546 $1,472 0.0200
31 Trenton 18,420 3.3% $215,391 $74,267 $854 0.0068
32 Livonia 94,928 5.0% $278,535 $92,458 $1,235 0.0194
33 Walled Lake 7,262 2.4% $229,099 $65,031 $1,237 0.0091
34 Flushing 8,349 6.6% $216,845 $75,813 $933 0.0060
35 Grandville 16,017 1.4% $332,792 $76,344 $1,016 0.0325
36 Hudsonville 7,633 6.0% $367,928 $86,000 $1,175 0.0126
37 St. Johns 7,711 2.7% $245,248 $60,991 $877 0.0082
38 Rockford 6,144 8.4% $386,671 $100,380 $1,079 0.0076
39 Mason 8,284 4.0% $247,725 $75,000 $1,048 0.0091
40 Brighton 7,486 2.8% $396,691 $74,022 $1,179 0.0148
41 Midland 42,404 4.5% $215,605 $71,809 $952 0.0091
42 St. Clair 5,496 5.4% $283,763 $71,771 $1,090 0.0073
43 St. Clair Shores 58,656 4.7% $211,168 $71,481 $1,135 0.0103
44 Wixom 17,007 2.7% $348,240 $72,896 $912 0.0133
45 Walker 25,175 3.4% $311,743 $72,020 $1,066 0.0301
46 Grand Haven 10,961 5.1% $342,638 $57,650 $920 0.0126
47 Ferndale 19,264 3.7% $236,307 $86,120 $1,238 0.0227
48 Holland 34,186 2.3% $321,850 $69,152 $1,065 0.0164
49 Kingsford 5,127 3.6% $132,625 $59,106 $749 0.0031
50 Marysville 9,973 4.6% $212,826 $67,548 $933 0.0088
51 Milan 6,153 6.5% $251,182 $89,600 $986 0.0122
52 Howell 10,067 4.4% $348,579 $53,953 $1,090 0.0112
53 Riverview 12,390 3.2% $219,074 $69,323 $966 0.0128
54 Grand Blanc 8,034 5.8% $262,470 $70,518 $816 0.0098
55 Woodhaven 12,867 5.0% $242,087 $77,725 $1,059 0.0130
56 Allen Park 28,395 6.0% $190,218 $73,792 $1,155 0.0181
57 Ludington 7,691 4.1% $263,304 $49,503 $838 0.0122
58 Norton Shores 24,984 5.2% $257,972 $72,699 $1,134 0.0257
59 Iron Mountain 7,522 4.7% $138,100 $53,215 $706 0.0000
60 Fenton 11,967 4.7% $330,634 $76,195 $1,188 0.0142
61 Wyandotte 24,857 4.1% $174,297 $62,111 $933 0.0110
62 Marquette 20,673 5.9% $288,904 $51,599 $944 0.0087
63 Tecumseh 8,678 6.8% $228,128 $65,638 $956 0.0052
64 Portage 48,936 6.1% $271,509 $74,837 $1,062 0.0362
65 Swartz Creek 5,865 0.9% $218,680 $70,210 $937 0.0547
66 Kentwood 54,042 4.5% $293,250 $66,945 $1,123 0.0267
67 Sterling Heights 133,744 5.9% $278,499 $75,381 $1,215 0.0136
68 Marshall 6,806 7.2% $220,197 $72,813 $903 0.0137
69 Richmond 5,852 6.1% $276,790 $64,154 $842 0.0046
70 Holly 5,997 7.7% $286,258 $58,957 $868 0.0040
71 Fraser 14,668 4.8% $217,570 $61,039 $782 0.0167
72 East Lansing 45,403 6.7% $269,481 $44,094 $1,080 0.0210
73 Utica 5,195 4.2% $247,172 $52,247 $944 0.0275
74 Oak Park 29,495 9.9% $212,139 $61,991 $1,274 0.0253
75 Southgate 29,948 4.8% $175,318 $62,792 $1,048 0.0231
76 Gladstone 5,231 3.8% $162,888 $59,133 $820 0.0065
77 Big Rapids 7,915 7.2% $191,904 $36,058 $732 0.0037
78 Madison Heights 28,521 3.6% $203,911 $63,224 $1,095 0.0211
79 Southfield 76,107 6.5% $234,297 $63,980 $1,249 0.0311
80 Allegan 5,180 2.7% $235,225 $42,162 $965 0.0097
81 Manistee 6,248 7.3% $227,978 $57,813 $775 0.0296
82 Wyoming 76,732 4.6% $245,215 $67,234 $1,070 0.0224
83 Center Line 8,493 6.4% $158,320 $52,067 $720 0.0195
84 Eaton Rapids 5,201 2.8% $231,272 $62,708 $930 0.0217
85 Auburn Hills 24,593 5.1% $245,506 $77,724 $1,299 0.0241
86 Charlotte 9,273 6.2% $217,499 $65,507 $798 0.0228
87 Dundee 5,408 7.5% $261,298 $73,641 $1,075 0.0169
88 Hillsdale 8,005 3.6% $183,760 $47,205 $765 0.0139
89 Houghton 8,303 11.8% $209,785 $29,821 $819 0.0072
90 Ishpeming 6,191 7.7% $155,185 $53,202 $599 0.0097
91 Menominee 8,429 4.1% $151,178 $46,821 $702 0.0176
92 Westland 84,806 5.2% $194,197 $59,930 $1,067 0.0172
93 St. Louis 6,932 6.1% $139,183 $47,662 $769 0.0078
94 Dearborn 108,414 6.8% $213,451 $64,600 $1,205 0.0218
95 Hastings 7,504 6.5% $198,616 $54,118 $725 0.0187
96 Grand Rapids 198,096 5.6% $262,762 $61,634 $1,138 0.0396
97 Flat Rock 10,448 7.6% $237,743 $65,374 $876 0.0169
98 Davison 5,114 8.2% $231,702 $48,750 $825 0.0127
99 Owosso 14,678 4.5% $159,765 $51,794 $806 0.0212
100 Monroe 20,400 7.8% $200,178 $57,779 $870 0.0169

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.