Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Median home value$236,200
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,340/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households40%
Detroit 29%
Southfield
Oakland County76,236 residentsSouthfield Public School District
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
38th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
54
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Southfield yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 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 Southfield is like to live in, by category
Bars show Southfield against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 49/100
D+
Within-state proficiency32nd pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.4
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate88%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index107
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.67%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Mean commute23.7 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi15
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 62/100
C
Restaurants & cafés31
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks41
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median household income$68,166
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment6.9%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations45%
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 Southfield 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 Southfield on employment & income
Southfield's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Beverly Hills3 mi from SouthfieldA 80 B+ Berkley4 mi from SouthfieldA− 78 B+ Grosse Pointe Park18 mi from SouthfieldB+ 69 B− Rochester16 mi from SouthfieldB 72 B− Birmingham5 mi from SouthfieldB 77 B Royal Oak6 mi from SouthfieldB 76 B Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Southfield
Is Southfield, MI a good place to live?
Southfield scores 54 out of 100, 38th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Southfield expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $236,200, 5% below the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.67%. $1,340/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Southfield?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Southfield sit at the 32nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 16.4 student–teacher ratio. Southfield is served by Southfield Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Southfield?
The mean commute is 23.7 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 17% working from home. Transit density is 15 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Southfield?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 31 restaurants and cafés and 41 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in Southfield old or new?
The median home in Southfield was built in 1969 — close to 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. 55% 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.