Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ecorse gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $78K, 1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. It grades C− overall, 622nd of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country and its public schools trail 91% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Ecorse, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town in Michigan scores lower than Ecorse on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, at 22 acres.
Where Ecorse beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Ecorse’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Ecorse is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,063 in 1910, a peak of 17,948 in 1950, 9,305 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 8 maps from 1906 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ecorse. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
8 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
6 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
8 mi TheatreFox Theatre
9 mi MuseumDetroit Institute of ArtsFord Field: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Michigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 · Detroit Institute of Arts: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ecorse, 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 Ecorse.
Ecorse has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Michigan rate and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
At 1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $78K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
62% of households own their home in Ecorse.
| Ecorse | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $840 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Ecorse Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ecorse Community High School, with 340 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrandPort Elementary AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 337 | D− |
| Ecorse Community High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 340 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
34% of Ecorse adults say their health is fair or poor. Ecorse beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 23% of Ecorse adults report frequent mental distress.
| Ecorse | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ecorse | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.1% | 15.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 37.4% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 3,230 in 2011 to 1,150.
Ecorse’s median household income is $40,000. Since 2011, Ecorse has lost 2,080 jobs, to 1,150 in 2021. Most working residents leave Ecorse for work: only 5% work in town.
| Ecorse | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
| Ecorse | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John D. Dingell Park | 0.5 mi | 4 |
| 2. Eli Ciungan Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Ecorse has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 54 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ecorse's reported crime rate is well above Michigan's. The violent crime rate in Ecorse is 13.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Ecorse | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 2 | 1.8 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 27.8 per 1,000 residents | 10.6 | 13.1 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ecorse.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Ecorse
About 4 of every 100 Ecorse residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Ecorse ( EE-korss) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring, Downriver suburb of Detroit, Ecorse is located roughly 9 miles (14.5 km) southwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 9,305. Ecorse is part of the Downriver community within Metro Detroit. The city shares a northwestern border with the city of Detroit and also borders the cities of Lincoln Park to the west, River Rouge to the north, and Wyandotte to the south. The city shares its name with the Ecorse River, which forms its southern border with Wyandotte. The Detroit River forms the city's eastern border as part of the Canada–United States border with LaSalle, Onta…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Ecorse.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecorse | #622 | C− | A− | — | D | D− |
| Lincoln Park | #626 | C− | A− | D | C+ | D |
| River Rouge | #625 | C− | A− | — | D | D− |
| Wyandotte | #301 | B | B+ | B | B− | C+ |
| Detroit | #680 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
Ecorse and River Rouge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ecorse with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ecorse grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #622 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D− for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
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