Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 67,319, settled in 1832. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Trash day: look up yoursFor most people who can afford it, yes. Novi grades A overall, 55th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Its schools outperform 98% of the state's. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $111K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $466K for a typical one and 6.1 times the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Novi, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 123 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Novi has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Joseph D. Yerkes House and Jacob and Rebecca Fuerst Farmstead.
Where Novi beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Thornton Creek Elementary School | K–5 | 531 |
| Meadowbrook Elementary School | K–5 | 518 |
| Parkview Elementary School | K–4 | 515 |
55,224 counted in 2010 and 66,243 in 2020; an estimated 67,319 in 2025.
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 Novi is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,668 in 1970, 66,243 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 8 maps from 1905 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Novi. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
24 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
18 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
24 mi TheatreFox Theatre7 mi MuseumMarvin's Marvelous Mechanical MuseumMichigan 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Novi, 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 Novi.
Novi has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and draws workers from Detroit and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
At 6.1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $466K) 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 $5,770, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Novi is $1,747 a month. The typical Novi home is worth about $466,000, up 2.8% in a year, 77% above the Michigan typical home. 66% of households own their home in Novi.
| Novi | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,747 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 84% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 39% | 45% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #4 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 $466K.
Its public schools are run by the Novi Community School District. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novi Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 1,086 | A+ |
| Novi High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 2,141 | A+ |
| Novi Woods Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 496 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
50 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. Novi’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile. Lakeshore Park, at 613 acres with 5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakeshore Park | 5 mi | 613 |
| 2. Garfield Road Conservation Area | 2.4 mi | 105 |
| 3. Rotary Park | 1 mi | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Michigan is COPD: 4.6% of its 50,840 adults have COPD, against 8.1% statewide.
9.7% of Novi adults report frequent physical distress. Novi beats the Michigan average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 13% of Novi adults report frequent mental distress.
| Novi | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Novi | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.6% | 8.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.8% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
41,020 jobs are based in Novi, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 27,390 in 2011 to 41,020.
Most working residents leave Novi for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2011, Novi has added 13,630 jobs, to 41,020 in 2021. The top destinations are Farmington Hills (9%), Southfield (7%) and Livonia (7%).
| Novi | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $111,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Novi.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 632 to 432 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 66 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Novi 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
7 within 15 miles of the center of Novi
About 5 of every 100 Novi residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where Novi’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
2 places in Novi on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Novi.
City in Michigan, United States
Novi ( NOH-vy) is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly 25 miles (40.2 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 66,243, an increase of 20% from the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Novi.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novi | #55 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Wixom | #198 | B+ | C− | B | A | A |
| Walled Lake | #192 | A− | C | B+ | A | B+ |
| Northville | #6 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Lyon Township | #33 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Northville Township | #30 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Farmington Hills | #205 | B+ | D | B | A− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Novi grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #55 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A+ for health, B+ 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.
13 notable people were born here, including Kaitlyn Maher and Sanjay Gupta.
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