Which Oakland County Cities Are Tops in Income and Education Level Across Michigan?
(Kurt Metzger, Dec. 18, 2023)
The Census Bureau released its latest set of demographic, socioeconomic and housing data on December 9. The data, collected over the period 2018-2022 by the American Community Survey, cover all states, counties, cities, villages and townships, regardless of size, across the country. For those of you who would want to go even deeper, you can choose ZIP Codes or census tracts.
I wanted to look at two topic areas of importance – educational attainment and median household income. I pulled data for all communities – cities, villages and townships – across Michigan, and then ranked them on “Percent Bachelors Degree or more” and “Median Household Income.
The following tables show the Top 15 communities for each of the variables. [The final ranking requires the community have at least 1,000 residents (sorry Barton Hills and Lake Angelus) and that it be incorporated (no census designated places such as South Gull Lake and Okemos)].
It is readily apparent (highlighted by green bars) that Oakland County is well represented in both charts. Oakland communities represented 7 of the top communities for educational attainment, and 10 of the 15 for median household income.
The State of Michigan had a college graduation rate, for its residents 25 years of age and above, of 31.1 percent. The Top 15 communities ranged from a low of 71.4 percent (Ada township) to a high of 84.9 percent (Ann Arbor township). They were much more widely distributed – 3 each in Washtenaw and Wayne and 2 for Kent – than we see for income.
The median household income for the State of Michigan in 2022 was $68,505. Median household incomes for the state’s top communities ranged from a low of $151,352 (Bloomfield township) to a high of $206,750 (Orchard Lake). Oakland County accounted for 10 of the 15 highest income communities, and 9 of the top 10!
While residence in Oakland County is often affiliated with higher education and incomes, we must remember that there are many living in these top communities who are not doing so well, and a significant number of communities with much lower socioeconomic levels and higher levels of need. In this holiday season, let us take joy in our diversity and reach out to those in need.
