Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Highland Park gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $79K for a typical one, or 1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. It grades C− overall, 614th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 220 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, and on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. 41% of residents live below the poverty line in Highland Park, above both Michigan’s towns (8.9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 78 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on hazard risk. Highland Park's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Highland Park beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Highland Park Plant, Ford Motor Company is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 427 in 1900, a peak of 52,959 in 1930, 8,977 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 8 maps from 1905 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Highland Park is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highland Park. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
5 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
5 mi TheatreFox Theatre
4 mi MuseumDetroit Institute of Arts
10 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a yearFord Field: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Comerica Park: City of Detroit, Public domain · Michigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Detroit Institute of Arts: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Henry Ford: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland Park, 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 Highland Park.
Highland Park has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Detroit and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at 6 times the Michigan rate.
Violent crime runs at 26.6 per 1,000 residents, 6 times the Michigan rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes rose from 469 to 586 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Highland Park’s violent crime rate is 26.6 per 1,000 residents. Among 272 Michigan towns, just 3 have a higher property crime rate than Highland Park. Highland Park reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
| Highland Park | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 44.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barber Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 362 | D |
| Covenant School SpectrumLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 93 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
38% of Highland Park adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Highland Park. 22% of Highland Park adults report frequent mental distress.
| Highland Park | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Highland Park | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.2% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.6% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Highland Park has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Highland Park has about as many jobs (3,253) as working residents, but only 40 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Highland Park for work: only 1% work in town. The median household income in Highland Park is $29,000. Jobs based in Highland Park fell to 3,253 in 2021, 289 fewer than in 2011.
| Highland Park | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
0.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Highland Park | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ford Park | 0.3 mi | 19 |
| 2. Reggie McKenzie Field | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. Perchman Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 99% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,326, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
45% of households own their home in Highland Park.
| Highland Park | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $688 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
16 within 15 miles of the center of Highland Park
About 6 of every 100 Highland Park residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
11,776 counted in 2010 and 8,977 in 2020; an estimated 8,248 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 8.2% since 2020, after 23.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
9 places in Highland Park on the National Register of Historic Places.
40 notable people were born in Highland Park.
City in Michigan, United States
Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Highland Park is located roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Downtown Detroit and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,977.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Highland Park grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #614 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D− for health and D− for safety. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $79,000, 70% below the Michigan typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
40 notable people were born here, including Bill Haley and Steve Smith.
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