Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ypsilanti gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $284K, 3.2 years of the Ann Arbor metro’s $89K median household income. It grades C overall, 524th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 168 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, and its public schools trail 77% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Ypsilanti’s violent crime rate is 8.4 per 1,000 residents, where Michigan’s towns sit at 1.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. On history, just 20 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Ypsilanti is home to Eastern Michigan University.
Where Ypsilanti beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Ladies' Literary Club Building
Its founding year, 1823, comes before those of 94% of the Michigan towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 3,955 in 1860, a peak of 29,538 in 1970, 20,648 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Ypsilanti is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 6%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ypsilanti. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
30 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
20 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
6 mi Park & preserveDomino's Farms
in town LandmarkYpsilanti Water TowerMichigan 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 · Ypsilanti Water Tower: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ypsilanti, 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 Ypsilanti.
Ypsilanti is shaped by its college students and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports property crime at about twice the Michigan rate.
5.8 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Ypsilanti’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Waterworks Park, at 20 acres.
| Ypsilanti | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. University Park | 1.6 mi | 16 |
| 2. Parkridge Park | 0.8 mi | 16 |
| 3. Recreation Park | 0.5 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ypsilanti Community Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Early College Alliance, with 454 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti International Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 416 | C− |
| Early College AllianceLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 454 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 26.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Michigan rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 797 to 691 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Ypsilanti is 26.1 per 1,000 residents. Ypsilanti reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,524 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ypsilanti’s, it is healthier than 98%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of adults have high blood pressure in Ypsilanti. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Ypsilanti. 8% of adults have diabetes in Ypsilanti.
| Ypsilanti | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Ypsilanti | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.2% | 7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ypsilanti 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ypsilanti.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Ypsilanti for work: only 7% work in town. 25% of Ypsilanti residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Ypsilanti fell to 6,259 in 2021, 629 fewer than in 2011.
| Ypsilanti | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Only 1 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Ypsilanti. The typical Ypsilanti home is worth about $284,000, up 0.8% in a year, 8% above the Michigan typical home.
| Ypsilanti | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 33% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,080 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Ypsilanti
College town 29 of every 100 Ypsilanti residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
9 places in Ypsilanti on the National Register of Historic Places.
52 notable people were born in Ypsilanti.
City in Michigan, United States
Ypsilanti ( IP-sə-LAN-tee), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( IP-see), is a city and college town located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Charter Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Charter Township (a separately governed municipality). Ypsilanti is a part of the Ann Arbor–Ypsilanti metropolitan area, the Huron River Valley, and the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor combined statistical area. Ypsilanti is known for being the home of Eastern Michigan University (formerly the Michigan State Normal College) since the university's founding as Michigan's fir…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ypsilanti.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti | #524 | C | B | D | C− | B+ |
| Ypsilanti Township | #411 | B− | C+ | — | C | A− |
Ypsilanti Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ypsilanti with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ypsilanti grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #524 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
52 notable people were born here, including Dax Shepard and Marie Tharp.
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