Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median home value$210,700
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,183/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households25%
Detroit 29%
St. Clair Shores
Macomb County58,140 residents4 school districts
56
C−
Suburbgrade score
32nd of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
56
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for St. Clair Shores yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 56 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 St. Clair Shores is like to live in, by category
Bars show St. Clair Shores against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency44th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio18.0
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate88%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index87
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.46%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute26.7 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes62%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 46/100
D
Restaurants & cafés17
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks25
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median household income$73,500
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment4.4%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations40%
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 St. Clair Shores 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 St. Clair Shores on amenities
St. Clair Shores's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Royal Oak13 mi from St. Clair ShoresA 76 B Ferndale12 mi from St. Clair ShoresA− 66 C+ Birmingham17 mi from St. Clair ShoresA− 77 B Allen Park23 mi from St. Clair ShoresA− 60 C Madison Heights11 mi from St. Clair ShoresA− 65 C+ Lincoln Park23 mi from St. Clair ShoresA− 52 D+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in St. Clair Shores
Is St. Clair Shores, MI a good place to live?
St. Clair Shores scores 56 out of 100, 32nd of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is St. Clair Shores expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $210,700, 16% below the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.46%. $1,183/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in St. Clair Shores?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving St. Clair Shores sit at the 44th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 18.0 student–teacher ratio. St. Clair Shores is served by Lake Shore Public Schools (Macomb), Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb), South Lake Schools and School District Not Defined. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from St. Clair Shores?
The mean commute is 26.7 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in St. Clair Shores?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 17 restaurants and cafés and 25 parks, which grades D on amenities.
Are the homes in St. Clair Shores old or new?
The median home in St. Clair Shores was built in 1957 — 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. 87% 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.