Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
South Lyon is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 13th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, and its schools outperform 88% of the state's. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. South Lyon’s concentration of trails is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both the Michigan town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 104 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on incomes. Volunteer Park, at 125 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where South Lyon beats most towns.
7% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far South Lyon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 418 in 1880, 11,746 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Lyon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
32 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
24 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
32 mi TheatreFox Theatre
10 mi Park & preserveDomino's FarmsMichigan 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 · Domino's Farms: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Lyon, 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 South Lyon.
South Lyon has less tooth loss than most of Michigan, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan and has commutes longer than most of Michigan.
At 6.2 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $475K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
In South Lyon, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,310 a month, where Michigan’s towns sit at $1,045 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Values rose 2.8% in the 12 months to September 2026. Homes sold in South Lyon spent a median 18 days on the market.
| South Lyon | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,310 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The largest public high school is South Lyon High School, with 1,245 students. The South Lyon Community Schools runs its public schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millennium Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,049 | A− |
| South Lyon High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,245 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Volunteer Park | 1.8 mi | 125 |
| 2. McHattie Park | 0.5 mi | 16 |
| 3. Andover Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 4.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide.
Among adults in South Lyon, 11% report frequent physical distress. The share of adults in South Lyon who sleep under 7 hours: 30%.
| South Lyon | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | South Lyon | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
For South Lyon, the violent offense rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| South Lyon | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in South Lyon, 42% come from inland flooding and 32% from tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in just over four fifths of U.S. communities. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 5,083 working residents takes 31.7 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan. Jobs based here grew from 2,319 in 2011 to 3,286.
South Lyon had 3,286 jobs in 2021, up 967 from 2011. Just 6% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: in South Lyon, the typical journey to work is 32 minutes. The median commute is under 15 miles.
| South Lyon | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 61 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 within 15 miles of the center of South Lyon
About 6 of every 100 South Lyon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where South Lyon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
City in Michigan, United States
South Lyon is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,746 at the 2020 census, up from 11,327 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with South Lyon.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lyon | #13 | A+ | C | A | A | A |
| Lyon Township | #33 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Green Oak Township | #31 | A+ | C | A | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. South Lyon grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #13 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health, A for safety and A for schools.
That is 6.2 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 C.
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