Niche, which rates, compares, and reviews places to live across America based on multiple factors, has released its 2024 rankings of the best zip codes to live in America and two of the top three are within driving distance of Detroit! This comes just a few weeks after Ann Arbor was ranked #1 in the nation for quality of life by U.S. News’ Quality of Life Index.
Which zip codes near Detroit ranked in the top three zip codes to live in America?
We’ve always been confident about the high quality of life that you get here in Michigan and in the Detroit area, but when Niche compared every zip code in the entire country and decided to rank them by order of best place to live, we were certainly didn’t expect two zip codes within 1,5 hours of Detroit to claim the #2 and #3 spots on the list!
The first zip code, 48084, is the second-best zip code to live in America which is located in Troy, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit less than a 30-minute drive from Downtown Detroit! While a lot of its high ranking can be attributed to its proximity to Detroit, the full ‘report card’ for this zip code according to Niche is as follows:
- Overall Grade: A+
- Public Schools: A+
- Nightlife: A+
- Diversity: A
- Weather: C+
- Health + Fitness: A+
- Commute: B+
- Housing: A-
- Good for Families: A+
- Jobs: A-
- Cost of Living: B-
- Outdoor Activities: B+
The second zip code, 48864, ranked as the third-best zip code to live in America and is located in Okemos, Michigan, a suburb just outside of East Lansing, about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Downtown Detroit. Its full ‘report card’ according to Niche’s rating is as follows:
- Overall Grade: A+
- Public Schools: A+
- Nightlife: A
- Diversity: A
- Weather: C+
- Health + Fitness: A+
- Commute: A-
- Housing: A
- Good for Families: A+
- Jobs: A
- Cost of Living: B
- Outdoor Activities: B+
Other Detroit-area zip codes ranked among the best to live in America
Aside from the two zip codes mentioned above that ranked as the #2 and #3 best zip codes to live in America, respectively, another Detroit-area zip code ranked as the #20 best zip code to live in America! This was 48375, otherwise known as Novi, Michigan, and it’s only 30 minutes away from Downtown Detroit by car! The full ‘report card’ for Novi that earned it its ranking as the 20th best zip code to live in America is as follows:
- Overall Grade: A+
- Public Schools: A+
- Nightlife: A
- Diversity: A
- Weather: C+
- Health + Fitness: A+
- Commute: B
- Housing: A
- Good for Families: A+
- Jobs: A-
- Cost of Living: B-
- Outdoor Activities: B+
How does Niche get its data?
According to Niche’s website, “We rigorously analyze dozens of public data sets and over 100 million reviews and survey responses to help you understand what a place is really like.” In other words, Niche got its data comparing all the country’s zip codes online from open source sets of data, which means that the data, for the most part, is reliable because they cross-reference multiple data sets to ensure accurate conclusions, particularly when it comes to performing rankings like this.