Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Birmingham is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 32nd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, its public schools beat 96% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $154K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $745K for a typical one and 9.7 times the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. 77% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Birmingham, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Birmingham has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them John W. Hunter House and Grand Trunk Western Railroad Birmingham Depot. Only 1 of the 322 Michigan towns we compare have a higher typical home value than Birmingham.
Where Birmingham beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Birmingham | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.4% | 10.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce Elementary School | PK–5 | 556 |
| Quarton Elementary | PK–5 | 371 |
| Our Shepherd Lutheran School & Preschool | K–8 | 191 |
Its founding year, 1819, comes before those of 96% of the Michigan towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 733 in 1880, 21,813 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 7 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Birmingham takes its name from Birmingham in West Midlands, England, 3,650 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionBirmingham, settled in 1819, takes its name from Birmingham, a city in West Midlands, England.
3 more U.S. towns are named after Birmingham:Birmingham, AL195,893Birmingham, MO187Birmingham, OH132
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Birmingham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Birmingham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
17 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
17 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
17 mi TheatreFox Theatre
28 mi LakeLake Saint ClairMichigan 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 · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Saint Clair: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo
Who provides power, water and the rest in Birmingham, 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 Birmingham.
Birmingham has schools in the top 5% of Michigan, draws workers from Detroit and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Michigan.
At 9.7 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $745K) costs more against local pay than in any other Michigan town; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in Birmingham is $1,902 a month. Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026. The typical Birmingham home is worth about $745,000, up 6.4% in a year, 3 times the Michigan typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #14 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $745K.
Its public schools are run by the Birmingham Public Schools. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ernest W Seaholm High School, with 1,081 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derby Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 631 | A |
| Ernest W Seaholm High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,081 | A+ |
| Pierce Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 556 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 3.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide.
9.3% of Birmingham adults report frequent physical distress. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Birmingham. 13% of Birmingham adults report frequent mental distress.
| Birmingham | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Birmingham | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.4% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.8% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.2 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Birmingham’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Quarton Lake Park, at 27 acres.
| Birmingham | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barnum Park | 1.1 mi | 9 |
| 2. Linden Park | 0.5 mi | 20 |
| 3. Shain Park | 0.5 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
14,228 jobs are based in Birmingham, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 26.3% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Birmingham for work: only 9% work in town. 5.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Birmingham. The top destinations are Troy (9%), Detroit (9%) and Southfield (8%).
| Birmingham | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $154,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Birmingham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Birmingham has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
17 within 15 miles of the center of Birmingham
About 4 of every 100 Birmingham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Birmingham’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
3 places in Birmingham on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Birmingham.
City in Michigan, United States
Birmingham is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor (M-1). As of the 2020 census, Birmingham had a population of 21,813.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Birmingham.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | #32 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Bloomfield Township | #42 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Troy | #98 | A | D | B | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Birmingham grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #32 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
24 notable people were born here, including David Spade and Christine Lahti.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
