Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Melvindale earns a D, 654th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $42K, and 39% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 39% of residents live below the poverty line in Melvindale, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 11 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score lower on civic life. Melvindale is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Melvindale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Melvindale | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 36.7% | 15.4% |
10,715 counted in 2010 and 12,851 in 2020; an estimated 12,325 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 4.1%, after 19.9% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Melvindale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,053 in 1930, 12,851 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 8 maps from 1905 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Melvindale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
8 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
3 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
8 mi TheatreFox Theatre
8 mi MuseumDetroit Institute of ArtsMichigan 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 · Detroit Institute of Arts: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Melvindale, 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 Melvindale.
Melvindale has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has poverty well above the Michigan rate.
34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Melvindale. Only 3 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Melvindale. 25% of adults report frequent mental distress in Melvindale.
| Melvindale | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Melvindale | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 36.7% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 914 | D |
| Academy for Business and Technology High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 231 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
At 1.8 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $139K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. 66.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 50.4% across Michigan.
The typical Melvindale home is worth about $139,000, up 1.6% in a year, 47% below the Michigan typical home. 61% of Melvindale households own their home.
| Melvindale | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,110 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Melvindale for work: only 4% work in town. The top destinations are Detroit (15%), Dearborn (10%) and Livonia (5%). Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Melvindale | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 252 to 170 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Melvindale is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Melvindale | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Melvindale has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Melvindale | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 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. Lankford Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 2. Melvindale field | — | 11 |
| 3. De Luca Field | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
12 within 15 miles of the center of Melvindale
About 6 of every 100 Melvindale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where Melvindale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
City in Michigan, United States
Melvindale is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring, Downriver suburb of Detroit, Melvindale is located roughly 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 12,851.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Melvindale.
Dearborn next door grades higher for schools (B to Melvindale’s C) and lower for cost of living (C− to B).
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melvindale | #654 | D | B | C | C | D− |
| Dearborn | #601 | C− | C− | C | B | C |
| Allen Park | #382 | B− | B− | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Detroit | #680 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
| Lincoln Park | #626 | C− | A− | D | C+ | D |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Melvindale grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #654 of 697 in Michigan. It grades D− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.8 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 B.
2 notable people were born here, including Raymond Kalisz and Al Cicotte.
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