Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Northville is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 6th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. The median household earns $146K, its schools score near the top of Michigan on tests and graduation, and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $465K, 6.1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Northville, above both the Michigan town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 56 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on walkability.
Where Northville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Amerman Elementary School | K–5 | 504 |
| St. Paul Lutheran School | PK–8 | 70 |
| Hillside Middle School | 6–8 | 1,024 |
| Widest gap | Northville | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 10.2% |
Northville Historic District
Census counts: 620 in 1860, 6,119 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 8 maps from 1905 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Northville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 10%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Northville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
23 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
16 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
23 mi TheatreFox Theatre
22 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 Northville, 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 Northville.
Northville has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and has less tooth loss than most of Michigan, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
4.4 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The trail density in Northville is 2.2 miles per square mile.
| Northville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River Park | 0.8 mi | 11 |
| 2. Lexington Commons | 0.7 mi | 15 |
| 3. Hines Parkway | 0.4 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #1 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 $465K.
Its public schools are run by the Northville Public Schools. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,024 | A |
| Cooke SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 122 | B+ |
| Amerman Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 504 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 3.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide.
13% of Northville adults report frequent mental distress. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Northville. 10% of Northville adults report frequent physical distress.
| Northville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Northville | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Northville since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Northville has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Northville has about as many jobs (2,801) as working residents, but only 146 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 3,685 in 2011 to 2,801.
2.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Northville. Jobs based in Northville fell to 2,801 in 2021, 884 fewer than in 2011. Most working residents leave Northville for work: only 6% work in town.
| Northville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $146,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
At 6.1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 95% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $6,517, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Northville’s median rent is $1,623 a month.
| Northville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,623 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Northville
About 3 of every 100 Northville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
1.4% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
3 places in Northville on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Northville.
City in Michigan, United States
Northville is a city in Wayne and Oakland counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Northville is located roughly 27 miles (43.5 km) northwest of Detroit, and 17 miles (27.4 km) northeast of Ann Arbor. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 6,119. It is independent of Northville Township, which it borders to the south.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Northville.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northville | #6 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Northville Township | #30 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Novi | #55 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Northville grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #6 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. The typical home is worth about $465,000, 76% above 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 D.
4 notable people were born here, including Noah Laba and Matt Stevens.
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