Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plymouth is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 9th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The median household earns $112K, it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, and its schools outperform 93% of the state's. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $474K for a typical one and 6.2 times the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Plymouth, against 26% in Michigan’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 22 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Plymouth is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Plymouth beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Elementary School | K–5 | 364 |
| Our Lady of Good Counsel School | PK–8 | 452 |
| Steppingstone School | K–8 | 11 |
Where Plymouth’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 Plymouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 820 in 1860, 9,370 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1924 and 8 maps from 1905 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Plymouth. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
22 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
13 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
21 mi TheatreFox Theatre
21 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 Plymouth, 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 Plymouth.
Plymouth draws workers from Canton Township and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Michigan, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
At 6.2 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $474K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $6,827, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Plymouth home is worth about $474,000, up 3.6% in a year, 80% above the Michigan typical home. 69% of households own their home in Plymouth.
| Plymouth | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,217 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 725 | A+ |
| Smith Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 364 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 3.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide.
27% of Plymouth adults feel lonely. Plymouth beats the Michigan average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 10% of Plymouth adults report frequent physical distress.
| Plymouth | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Plymouth | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.2% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 15.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.5% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6,706 jobs are based in Plymouth, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 25.2% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Plymouth for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Ann Arbor (10%), Livonia (8%) and Detroit (6%). Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Plymouth | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 25% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Plymouth is 2 of 100. Since 1990, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Plymouth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.3 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Hines Parkway, at 81 acres.
| Plymouth | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.7% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hines Parkway | 0.2 mi | 81 |
| 2. Plymouth Riverside Recreation Area | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 3. Tonquish Creek Neighborhood Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Plymouth’s violent crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Plymouth | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Plymouth has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 61 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
10 within 15 miles of the center of Plymouth
About 5 of every 100 Plymouth residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
4 places in Plymouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Michigan, United States
Plymouth is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Plymouth is located roughly 27 miles (43.5 km) northwest of downtown Detroit, and 18 miles (29.0 km) northeast of Ann Arbor. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 9,370. It is surrounded by, but independent of, Plymouth Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Plymouth grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #9 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 C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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