Best places to live in Michigan
3 Michigan metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Michigan
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 3 tracked Michigan metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 66.2%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 6.3%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 17.6%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 4.9%
- Other or two or more
- 5%
Diversity index 64/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ann Arbor | 59.7 | #20 of 103 | $412k | 93 | 48 | 17° / 83° | 65 |
| 2 | Grand Rapids | 54.9 | #38 of 103 | $356k | 74 | 48 | 18° / 83° | 50 |
| 3 | Detroit | 47.8 | #63 of 103 | $264k | 51 | 48 | 18° / 83° | 68 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.