Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median home value$247,700
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,311/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Detroit 29%
Ferndale
Oakland County19,190 residents2 school districts
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
15th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by schools.
66
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ferndale yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 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 Ferndale is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ferndale against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Within-state proficiency32nd pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.5
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate68%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index101
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.64%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 83/100
A−
Mean commute23.2 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes72%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi16
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 87/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés127
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries12
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks118
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 76/100
B
Median household income$94,640
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment3.7%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations63%
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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale on schools
Ferndale's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Beverly Hills7 mi from FerndaleA 80 B+ Birmingham7 mi from FerndaleA 77 B Grosse Pointe Woods12 mi from FerndaleA− 71 B− Novi18 mi from FerndaleA− 71 B− Royal Oak4 mi from FerndaleA− 76 B Berkley4 mi from FerndaleB+ 78 B+ Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Ferndale
Is Ferndale, MI a good place to live?
Ferndale scores 66 out of 100, 15th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Ferndale expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $247,700, 1% below the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.64%. $1,311/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ferndale?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving Ferndale sit at the 32nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 68% graduation rate and a 15.5 student–teacher ratio. Ferndale is served by Ferndale Public Schools and Hazel Park School District of The City of. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ferndale?
The mean commute is 23.2 min, with 72% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 28% working from home. Transit density is 16 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ferndale?
Within two miles there are 12 groceries, 127 restaurants and cafés and 118 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Ferndale old or new?
The median home in Ferndale was built in 1945 — 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. 79% 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.