Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 65/100
C+
Median home value$328,700
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,381/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households21%
Detroit 29%
Royal Oak
Oakland County57,950 residentsRoyal Oak Schools
76
B
Suburbgrade score
4th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
76
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Royal Oak yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 76 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 Royal Oak is like to live in, by category
Bars show Royal Oak against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 83/100
A−
Within-state proficiency84th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.4
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate94%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index112
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.28%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 80/100
B+
Mean commute23.8 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes69%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi16
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 90/100
A
Restaurants & cafés157
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks122
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 76/100
B
Median household income$101,109
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment3.5%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations66%
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 Royal Oak 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 Royal Oak on housing & affordability
Royal Oak's weakest grade is C+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Beverly Hills5 mi from Royal OakA 80 B+ Birmingham4 mi from Royal OakA− 77 B Grosse Pointe Woods14 mi from Royal OakB+ 71 B− Rochester Hills11 mi from Royal OakB 70 B− Troy5 mi from Royal OakB 72 B− Berkley2 mi from Royal OakB 78 B+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Royal Oak
Is Royal Oak, MI a good place to live?
Royal Oak scores 76 out of 100, 4th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Royal Oak expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $328,700, 32% above the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.28%. $1,381/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Royal Oak?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Royal Oak sit at the 84th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 14.4 student–teacher ratio. Royal Oak is served by Royal Oak Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Royal Oak?
The mean commute is 23.8 min, with 69% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 16 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Royal Oak?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 157 restaurants and cafés and 122 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Royal Oak old or new?
The median home in Royal Oak was built in 1956 — 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. 70% 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.