Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Median home value$698,300
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,902/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households27%
Detroit 29%
Birmingham
Oakland County21,763 residentsBirmingham Public Schools
77
B
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strong on schools and commute & transport, held back by cost of living.
77
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Birmingham yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 77 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Birmingham is like to live in, by category
Bars show Birmingham against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 88/100
A
Within-state proficiency97th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.9
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate97%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 38/100
D−
Housing cost index191
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.48%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 87/100
A−
Mean commute20.3 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes74%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 85/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés85
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks119
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 77/100
B
Median household income$153,510
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment4.4%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations68%
Detroit 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Birmingham yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Birmingham on cost of living
Birmingham's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Pontiac8 mi from BirminghamB+ 44 D Madison Heights6 mi from BirminghamB+ 65 C+ Mount Clemens17 mi from BirminghamB+ 44 D Hamtramck13 mi from BirminghamB+ 46 D Westland18 mi from BirminghamB+ 55 C− Wixom16 mi from BirminghamB 62 C Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Birmingham
Is Birmingham, MI a good place to live?
Birmingham scores 77 out of 100, 3rd of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Birmingham expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D−. The median home is $698,300, 180% above the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.48%. $1,902/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Birmingham?
Schools grade A. The districts serving Birmingham sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 97% graduation rate and a 15.9 student–teacher ratio. Birmingham is served by Birmingham Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Birmingham?
The mean commute is 20.3 min, with 74% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Birmingham?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 85 restaurants and cafés and 119 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Birmingham old or new?
The median home in Birmingham was built in 1960 — older than the Detroit median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 77% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.