Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median home value$235,900
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,275/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Detroit 29%
Fenton
Genesee County11,906 residents2 school districts
58
C
Suburbgrade score
27th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by commute & transport.
58
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Fenton yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 58 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 Fenton is like to live in, by category
Bars show Fenton against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency84th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.4
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate90%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index94
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.12%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 39/100
D−
Mean commute31.3 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes53%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés64
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks57
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median household income$80,000
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment8.7%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations49%
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 Fenton 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 Fenton on commute & transport
Fenton's weakest grade is D−. Three suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Pontiac24 mi from FentonB− 44 D Wixom21 mi from FentonC− 62 C Howell17 mi from FentonD− 57 C− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Fenton
Is Fenton, MI a good place to live?
Fenton scores 58 out of 100, 27th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Fenton expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $235,900, 6% below the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.12%. $1,275/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Fenton?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Fenton sit at the 84th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 16.4 student–teacher ratio. Fenton is served by Fenton Area Public Schools and Lake Fenton Community Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Fenton?
The mean commute is 31.3 min, with 53% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Fenton?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 64 restaurants and cafés and 57 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Fenton old or new?
The median home in Fenton was built in 1981 — newer 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. 68% 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.