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%

Dexter$3,350/mo

Typical home $512K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.56% · or rent about $1,761/mo · Housing →

Grosse Pointe$3,260/mo

Typical home $488K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.74% · or rent about $1,725/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Dexter and Grosse Pointe.

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

Dexter places higher on 10 of 19 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

–DexterNot graded C+Grosse PointeSafer than 41% of U.S. towns

Schools

ADexterBetter than 93% of districts in the state AGrosse PointeBetter than 94% of districts in the state

Health

A+DexterHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns A+Grosse PointeHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns

10Dexter

8Grosse Pointe

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #246#636 Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #233#28 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #44#198 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 723 towns #140#7 Fastest growingGrowth · 723 towns #84#210 Best schoolsSchools · 493 towns #80#2 Highest graduation rateSchools · 540 towns #6#68 Highest incomeIncome · 723 towns #95#14

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

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

DexterGrosse Pointe

Snow a year33″28″

January low16°F 17°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)163d 176d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)11th 66th

Outdoors & history

DexterGrosse Pointe

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land6.4%0.8%

Settled1824 1934

National Register places1 2

Archive photos24 12

Famous people born here10 48

Community

DexterGrosse Pointe

Library hours a week70 hrs —

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.

Where they are

50 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DexterMI Grosse PointeMI

Dexter ↔ Grosse Pointe50 miles apart

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

DexterGrosse Pointe

People

Population 4,521Lowest 5,541Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.6%Highest MI: +2% +4.7%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 43.4±4.6Lowest 8% above MI 43.8±5.4Highest 9% above MI

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

Kids under 18 28.2%±6Highest MI: 21.2% 26.6%±4.1Lowest MI: 21.2%

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

Age 65+ 21.7%±4.7Lowest MI: 18.6% 23.2%±3.6Highest MI: 18.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 70.3%Lowest MI: 32.4% 73.1%Highest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±2Highest MI: 6.1% 2.6%±1.2Lowest MI: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $106,637±$14kLowest 46% above MI $158,853±$11kHighest 118% above MI

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $421,000±$23kLowest 82% above MI $436,800±$56kHighest 89% above MI

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,761±$282Highest 56% above MI $1,725±$95Lowest 53% above MI

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,552Lowest 126% above MI $7,596Highest 162% above MI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.9%±21.8Highest MI: 50.4% 18.9%±8.6Lowest MI: 50.4%

Below poverty line 0.8%Lowest MI: 13.2% 2.8%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 77.2%Lowest MI: 73.2% 85.9%Highest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1997Highest 25 yrs newer than MI 1938Lowest 34 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minLowest about the MI average 24 minHighest about the MI average

Work from home 26.9%±5.5Highest MI: 13.5% 25.5%±4.7Lowest MI: 13.5%

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

Work in townworking residents 9%Highest 5.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 11.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.29Lowest 1.35Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Ann Arbor (31%)Detroit (24%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Grosse PointeFew work in Dexter

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6.4%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 0.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 mi 0.3 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 99.3Highest 46.4Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #80 of 493 in MI #2 of 493 in MI

School district Dexter Community School DistrictGrosse Pointe Public Schools

High school in town Dexter Alternative SchoolNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 8.1 —

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.

Dexter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dexter’s Town Square.

Grosse Pointe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Grosse Pointe’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Dexter and Grosse Pointe

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Bordering Dexter

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Scio Township17,725 people · $519K homes

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Webster Township6,575 people · $564K homes

Towns like Dexter

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Northville6,069 people · $465K homes

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Plymouth9,214 people · $449K homes

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Saline9,006 people · $341K homes

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Vergennes Township4,853 people · $392K 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.

Dexter vs Grosse Pointe

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Dexter places higher on 10 of 19 MI lists

What daily life feels like in each

50 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Dexter and Grosse Pointe

Bordering Dexter

Towns like Dexter

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