Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Saline's standout: its public schools beat 96% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. Overall it grades A, 90th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 9 miles of trail. Saline’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Schuyler Mill-Ford Soybean Plant Complex and William H. Davenport House. Saline's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Saline beats most towns.
William H. Davenport House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage School | 4–5 | 646 |
| Pleasant Ridge Elementary School | K–3 | 474 |
| Woodland Meadows Elementary School | K–3 | 453 |
Its 19 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Michigan towns with a listing.
Census counts: 858 in 1880, a low of 584 in 1900, 8,948 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Saline is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Saline. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
39 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
29 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
11 mi Park & preserveDomino's Farms
39 mi TheatreFox TheatreMichigan 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 · Domino's Farms: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Saline, 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 Saline.
Saline has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan, but it has property taxes about twice the Michigan norm.
9.2 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Curtiss Park, at 45 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tefft Park | 1.4 mi | 34 |
| 2. Wilderness Park | 1.3 mi | 22 |
| 3. Curtiss Park | 1.1 mi | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #14 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Saline Area Schools. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,017 | A |
| Saline Alternative High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 31 | C− |
| Pleasant Ridge Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 474 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $6,066, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Saline home is worth about $465,000, up 2.5% in a year, 76% above the Michigan typical home. 69% of households own their home in Saline, against 84% in Michigan’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
| Saline | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,054 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 7.8% of its 7,085 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
24% of Saline adults sleep under 7 hours. Saline beats the Michigan average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 16% of Saline adults get no exercise outside work.
| Saline | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Saline | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Saline since 1980.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Saline has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23.1% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Saline for work: only 11% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in Saline. The top destinations are Ann Arbor (25%), Pittsfield Township (8%) and Ann Arbor Township (3%).
| Saline | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4 within 15 miles of the center of Saline
About 3 of every 100 Saline residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
6% of the town is conserved land, across 23 parks and preserves.
19 places in Saline on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Saline.
City in the United States
Saline ( sə-LEEN) is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Saline.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline | #90 | A | C+ | B | A+ | A |
| Lodi Township | #20 | A+ | C+ | — | A+ | A+ |
| Saline Township | #84 | A | C | — | A+ | A |
| Pittsfield Township | #218 | B+ | D | C | A | A |
| York Township | #195 | B+ | C− | — | A | A− |
Lodi Township, Saline Township and York Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Saline with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Saline grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #90 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health, B for safety and A+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
7 notable people were born here, including George Matthew Adams and Jennifer Allison.
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