Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Auburn Hills grades C− overall, ranked 603rd of 697 in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, its schools rank behind 90% of the state's. Auburn Hills’ density of trails is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). On cost of living, just 120 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Auburn Hills is home to Oakland University.
Where Auburn Hills beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| R Grant Graham Elem School | K–5 | 390 |
| Auburn Elementary School | PK–5 | 333 |
| Rogers School | K–5 | 280 |
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Auburn Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 111 in 1880, 24,360 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1976 and 8 maps from 1908 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburn Hills, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Auburn Hills.
Auburn Hills draws workers from Detroit and beyond and is mostly renters.
The biggest park or preserve is Auburn Hills Civic Center Park, at 60 acres. Across 12 parks and preserves: 25 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. E. Dale Fisk Hawk Woods Nature Center | 3.1 mi | 87 |
| 2. River Woods Park | 1 mi | 29 |
| 3. CTC Park | 0.8 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Below: Two of its 8 schools, each with why it was picked. The public schools here belong to the Avondale School District. The largest public high school is Avondale High School, with 911 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| R Grant Graham Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 390 | C− |
| Avondale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 911 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
61,454 jobs are based in Auburn Hills, 6.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 39,200 in 2011 to 61,454.
Only 16% of working residents stay in Auburn Hills for work; the rest commute out. This Michigan town had 61,454 jobs in 2021, up 22,254 from 2011. For workers here, the share who do their job from home is 19%. The median commute is under 10 miles.
| Auburn Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 10% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Auburn Hills’ FEMA hazard score is 19 of 100, below both the Michigan town median (25 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). 46% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 29%. 4 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 2000.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Auburn Hills’ rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 19.1 per 1,000 residents. In Auburn Hills, the violent crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Auburn Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among adults in Auburn Hills, 33% sleep under 7 hours. This Michigan town does better than the Michigan average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4. In Auburn Hills, 11% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 8.5% have diabetes.
| Auburn Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 12% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Auburn Hills | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.5% | 29.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.7% | 7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Auburn Hills’ July high stands at 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.8%. 51% of households own their home in Auburn Hills. For Auburn Hills, the median rent is $1,477 a month.
| Auburn Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,477 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Auburn Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
25 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
26 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
33 mi LakeLake Saint Clair
25 mi TheatreFox TheatreMichigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ford Field: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Comerica Park: City of Detroit, Public domain · The Henry Ford: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Saint Clair: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
10 within 15 miles of the center of Auburn Hills
About 11 of every 100 Auburn Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
21,412 counted in 2010 and 24,360 in 2020; an estimated 25,925 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.4% since 2020, after 13.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
City in Michigan, United States
Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about 26 miles (42 km) north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is notable as the home of Oakland University, and the site of the North American headquarters of Stellantis. The city is a major hub of manufacturing and commerce, particularly in the automotive industry, with facilities of more than 50 automotive corporations. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Auburn Hills.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Hills | #603 | C− | C− | C− | D | A− |
| Pontiac | #682 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Orion Township | #24 | A+ | C− | A | A | A |
| Lake Angelus | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rochester Hills | #29 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Waterford Township | #346 | B | C+ | B− | B− | B+ |
| Independence Township | #51 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
| Bloomfield Township | #42 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
Lake Angelus isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Auburn Hills with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Auburn Hills grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #603 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($76,664 across the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including John Morton and Paul Haynes.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}