A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Dearborn$1,680/mo

Typical home $251K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $1,327/mo · Housing →

Melvindale$940/mo

Typical home $143K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.58% · or rent about $1,110/mo · Housing →

The difference: $740 a month, about $8,900 a year, between Dearborn and Melvindale.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Dearborn places higher on 14 of 21 MI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

CDearbornSafer than 27% of U.S. towns CMelvindaleSafer than 33% of U.S. towns

Schools

BDearbornBetter than 62% of districts in the state CMelvindaleBetter than 25% of districts in the state

Health

CDearbornHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns D−MelvindaleHealthier than 2% of U.S. towns

14Dearborn

6Melvindale

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #157#602 Lowest property taxCost of living · 723 towns #607#165 Most educatedPeople · 723 towns #218#652 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #114#509 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #222#515 Most affordableCost of living · 723 towns #322#55 Most activeHealth · 723 towns #489#713 Highest graduation rateSchools · 540 towns #91#245

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Dearborn’s rankings →

Where they are

Dearborn and Melvindale share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

DearbornMelvindale

Dearborn ↔ Melvindale2.8 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

387 Melvindale residents work in Dearborn (10.1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Melvindale →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

DearbornMelvindale

Snow a year31″31″

January low18°F 18°F

July high84°F 84°F

Growing season (days)166d 166d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)33rd 28th

Outdoors & history

DearbornMelvindale

Trails48 mi 1 mi

Conserved land10.8%2.2%

Settled1786 1924

National Register places9 —

Archive photos24 12

Famous people born here80 3

Community

DearbornMelvindale

Library hours a week58 hrs 37 hrs

Colleges in town2 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

DearbornMelvindale

People

Population 107,423Highest 12,554Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12%Lowest MI: +2% +19.9%Highest MI: +2%

Median age 33.3±0.7Highest 17% below MI 31.3±3.1Lowest 22% below MI

Dearborn and Melvindale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 28.7%±1.4Lowest MI: 21.2% 32.3%±5.3Highest MI: 21.2%

Melvindale and Dearborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 13.7%±0.9Highest MI: 18.6% 10.6%±2.6Lowest MI: 18.6%

Dearborn and Melvindale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 34.6%Highest MI: 32.4% 14%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.5%±0.7Highest MI: 6.1% 6.4%±3.4Lowest MI: 6.1%

Dearborn and Melvindale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $65,324±$3kHighest 10% below MI $42,185±$6kLowest 42% below MI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $218,800±$5kHighest 6% below MI $125,800±$11kLowest 46% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,327±$62Highest 18% above MI $1,110±$109Lowest about the MI average

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,858Highest 33% above MI $1,993Lowest 31% below MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 64.3%±3.8Lowest MI: 50.4% 66.2%±18.8Highest MI: 50.4%

Melvindale and Dearborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 24.3%Lowest MI: 13.2% 39.1%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 68.4%Highest MI: 73.2% 60.8%Lowest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1952Highest 20 yrs older than MI 1950Lowest 22 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 10% below MI 25 minHighest 4% above MI

Work from home 13.2%±1.9Highest MI: 13.5% 7.5%±4.4Lowest MI: 13.5%

Dearborn and Melvindale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 23.4%Highest 3.8%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 12.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.12Highest 0.60Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Detroit (15%)Detroit (15%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Melvindale10% work in Dearborn

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 10.8%Highest 2.2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 47.8 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.0 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 43Highest 6Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Highest 94.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #380 of 493 in MI #485 of 493 in MI

School district Academy for Business and Technology · Henry Ford AcademyAcademy for Business and Technology · Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools

High school in town Fordson High SchoolAcademy for Business and Technology High School

Students per teacherat that high school 19.2Highest 11.7Lowest

Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Dearborn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dearborn’s Town Square.

Melvindale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melvindale’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dearborn and Melvindale

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Dearborn

+ Compare

Detroit638,530 people · $84K homes

+ Compare

Dearborn Heights61,771 people · $185K homes

+ Compare

Allen Park27,925 people · $184K homes

Towns like Dearborn

+ Compare

Wyoming77,353 people · $225K homes

+ Compare

Kentwood54,296 people · $268K homes

+ Compare

Ypsilanti Township55,066 people · $234K homes

+ Compare

Clinton Township100,447 people · $225K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Dearborn vs Melvindale

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $740 more a month in Dearborn

Dearborn places higher on 14 of 21 MI lists

Dearborn and Melvindale share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Dearborn and Melvindale

Bordering Dearborn

Towns like Dearborn

Post to Dearborn

Check your email