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Compare towns

Lansing vs Dearborn

74 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+70% in Dearborn) and growth since 2010 (+13.4 pts in Dearborn).

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Lansing, MIA history townMichigan · 113,023 people
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Dearborn, MIA colonial town, settled 1786Michigan · 107,423 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $500 more a month in Dearborn

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.

Lansing$1,190/mo
Typical home $169K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.11% · or rent about $993/mo · Housing →
Dearborn$1,680/mo
Typical home $251K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $1,327/mo · Housing →

The difference: $500 a month, about $6,000 a year, between Dearborn and Lansing.

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 13 of 23 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.

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
LansingDearborn
Snow a year50″31″
January low17°F18°F
July high83°F84°F
Growing season (days)162d166d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th33rd
Outdoors & history
LansingDearborn
Conserved land7.9%10.8%
Settled18351786
National Register places359
Archive photos624
Famous people born here3880
Community
LansingDearborn
Library hours a week63 hrs58 hrs
Colleges in town22
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

74 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lansing ↔ Dearborn74 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.

LansingDearborn
People
Population 113,023Highest 107,423Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.4%Lowest MI: +2% +12%Highest MI: +2%
Median age 33.7±0.6Highest 16% below MI 33.3±0.7Lowest 17% below MI
Lansing and Dearborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.6%±1Lowest MI: 21.2% 28.7%±1.4Highest MI: 21.2%
Age 65+ 13.6%±0.8Lowest MI: 18.6% 13.7%±0.9Highest MI: 18.6%
Dearborn and Lansing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.2%Lowest MI: 32.4% 34.6%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8%±0.8Lowest MI: 6.1% 8.5%±0.7Highest MI: 6.1%
Dearborn and Lansing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,382±$2kLowest 25% below MI $65,324±$3kHighest 10% below MI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $128,700±$4kLowest 44% below MI $218,800±$5kHighest 6% below MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $993±$24Lowest 12% below MI $1,327±$62Highest 18% above MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,716Lowest 6% below MI $3,858Highest 33% above MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.2%±3.6Lowest MI: 50.4% 64.3%±3.8Highest MI: 50.4%
Below poverty line 20.1%Lowest MI: 13.2% 24.3%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 53.8%Lowest MI: 73.2% 68.4%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Highest 13 yrs older than MI 1952Lowest 20 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 22% below MI 22 minHighest 10% below MI
Work from home 14.8%±1.5Highest MI: 13.5% 13.2%±1.9Lowest MI: 13.5%
Lansing and Dearborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 31.7%Highest 23.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miLowest 10.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.98Lowest 2.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town East Lansing (9%)Detroit (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DearbornFew work in Lansing
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Lowest 10.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 37.5 miLowest 47.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 106Highest 43Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 78.1Lowest 114Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #474 of 493 in MI#380 of 493 in MI
School district Cole Academy · Mid-Michigan Leadership AcademyAcademy for Business and Technology · Henry Ford Academy
High school in town Everett High SchoolFordson High School
Students per teacherat that high school 19.9Highest 19.2Lowest
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.

Lansing neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lansing’s Town Square.

Dearborn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dearborn’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Lansing

Towns like Lansing

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.

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