Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Walled Lake grades A− overall, 192nd of 697 graded towns in Michigan, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 88% of the state's and natural-hazard risk is low. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 68% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $242K for a typical one and 3.2 times the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. Walled Lake’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 126 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Walled Lake beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Helen Guest Elementary School | K–5 | 337 |
| Walled Lake Elementary School | PK–5 | 301 |
| Walled Lake Schools Special Services | 2 | — |
Where Walled Lake’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 Walled Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,550 in 1960, 7,250 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1984 and 7 maps from 1907 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Walled Lake, 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 Walled Lake.
Walled Lake pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Michigan norm and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports more crime than Novi and its other graded neighbors.
On this, Walled Lake is below both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 2.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hiram Sims Park | 0.2 mi | 17 |
| 2. Riley Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 3. Marshall E. Taylor Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Helen Guest Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 337 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Walled Lake for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Walled Lake grew to 2,126 in 2021, 142 more than in 2011. The top destinations are Farmington Hills (8%), Novi (7%) and Wixom (6%).
| Walled Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Against the 10,671 U.S. towns with household incomes like Walled Lake’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its B+, from Wolverine Lake (A−) to Novi (A+).
Walled Lake beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Walled Lake.
| Walled Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 27% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Walled Lake | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 26.7% | 29.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Walled Lake has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walled Lake is safe by national standards, yet each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Novi (B+) to Wolverine Lake (A+). Reported crimes fell from 84 to 52 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Walled Lake’s violent crime rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Walled Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). 18% of Walled Lake residents are under 18. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Walled Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Walled Lake | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.7% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.9% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Walled Lake grades A− overall with a typical home of about $242K, below the Michigan typical value; only 13 of the 103 Michigan towns graded A− or better can say that.
The median rent in Walled Lake is $1,419 a month. The typical Walled Lake home is worth about $242,000, up 0.5% in a year, 8% below the Michigan typical home.
| Walled Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,419 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Walled Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
26 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
20 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
26 mi TheatreFox Theatre6 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
8 within 15 miles of the center of Walled Lake
About 2 of every 100 Walled Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
7 notable people were born in Walled Lake.
City in Michigan, United States
Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Walled Lake is located roughly 32 miles (51.5 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,246.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Walled Lake.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A−; Commerce Township (A) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walled Lake | #192 | A− | C | B+ | A | B+ |
| Commerce Township | #85 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
| Wolverine Lake | #48 | A | D | A+ | A | A− |
| Novi | #55 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Walled Lake grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #192 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ 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 Ryan Steele and Jimmy Hague.
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