Safest Counties in Michigan: 31 Ranked (2026)
The 31 Michigan counties where police report enough to the FBI to build a reliable rate, ranked by violent crime, with home prices, asking rents and incomes where available.
Michigan has 83 counties. Thirty-one of them clear the reporting bar this page uses, and the gap between the quietest, Livingston at 90 violent offenses per 100,000, and the busiest, Wayne at 853, is 9.5 to one. What homes closed at over the last 12 months sits beside the rate where Resideline has enough sales to publish a median: 149,690 closing records tracked in the 29 counties that clear that bar.
The crime rates here are built from the 8,306,302 residents those police agencies actually report on, over the months they reported. Each figure is a single county-wide figure, so treat this as a way to narrow a search rather than a verdict on any street.
We do not treat missing or conflicting crime data as zero. A county appears here only when its reporting clears our reliability threshold, and we set aside results that conflict materially with the state's own records. Whether a county is ranked depends on its crime reporting alone; whether it shows a price depends on whether Resideline tracked enough closings there.
The ranking
| # | County | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | Median closed price | Median asking rent | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Livingston | 90 | 369 | $391,262 | $1,800 | $101,995 |
| 2 | Clinton | 104 | 476 | $250,000 | $1,445 | $90,150 |
| 3 | Midland | 132 | 469 | $249,000 | $1,500 | $78,615 |
| 4 | Lapeer | 140 | 486 | $295,000 | $1,300 | $78,002 |
| 5 | Allegan | 144 | 885 | $332,900 | $1,695 | $85,080 |
| 6 | Oakland | 184 | 810 | $359,266 | $1,900 | $99,070 |
| 7 | Marquette | 247 | 564 | $266,000 | $1,375 | $67,030 |
| 8 | Montcalm | 248 | 655 | $240,000 | $1,500 | $66,100 |
| 9 | Lenawee | 255 | 740 | $234,000 | $1,250 | $71,849 |
| 10 | Ottawa | 275 | 785 | $390,000 | $1,725 | $89,708 |
| 11 | Macomb | 283 | 1,076 | $269,013 | $1,500 | $77,928 |
| 12 | Shiawassee | 290 | 1,001 | $199,800 | $1,000 | $71,235 |
| 13 | St. Clair | 291 | 703 | $256,000 | $1,200 | $71,545 |
| 14 | Tuscola | 297 | 524 | $180,000 | n/a | $62,492 |
| 15 | Eaton | 297 | 1,059 | $253,000 | $1,426 | $80,080 |
| 16 | Bay | 302 | 1,032 | n/a | n/a | $64,751 |
| 17 | Monroe | 322 | 829 | $264,956 | $1,200 | $76,490 |
| 18 | Grand Traverse | 327 | 455 | $410,000 | $2,000 | $82,515 |
| 19 | Isabella | 331 | 958 | $210,000 | $1,000 | $56,734 |
| 20 | Cass | 340 | 1,103 | n/a | n/a | $69,579 |
| 21 | Washtenaw | 353 | 1,447 | $410,000 | $2,085 | $90,907 |
| 22 | Muskegon | 405 | 1,578 | $237,500 | $1,359 | $61,598 |
| 23 | Jackson | 407 | 1,539 | $214,950 | $1,296 | $67,303 |
| 24 | St. Joseph | 450 | 1,497 | $205,000 | n/a | $65,096 |
| 25 | Kent | 455 | 1,546 | $344,968 | $1,700 | $80,768 |
| 26 | Berrien | 501 | 1,491 | $285,000 | $1,500 | $68,882 |
| 27 | Kalamazoo | 580 | 2,338 | $273,500 | $1,400 | $72,071 |
| 28 | Ingham | 694 | 1,630 | $212,417 | $1,350 | $66,388 |
| 29 | Calhoun | 733 | 1,982 | $185,000 | $1,190 | $65,049 |
| 30 | Saginaw | 784 | 1,414 | $180,000 | $1,100 | $61,572 |
| 31 | Wayne | 853 | 2,330 | $200,000 | $1,350 | $59,484 |
A closer look at the 12 safest counties
1. Livingston County
Livingston records 90 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Michigan counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes changed hands at a median $391,262, around 155 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Safety and price line up here in the way people expect, which is not true of every county on this list. Households there earn a median of $101,995, about 143 percent of the median for these counties. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 369 per 100,000, or 0.3 times the median comparable US county. For prices at street level, see Howell, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
2. Clinton County
Police in Clinton reported 104 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. At $250,000, its median closed price is unremarkable against the rest of this list. Local incomes go further here than almost anywhere else on this list, with homes at 2.8 times median household income. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 476 per 100,000, or 0.4 times the median comparable US county. Asking rents run about $1,445 a month.
3. Midland County
Midland records 132 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Michigan counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes there closed at a median of $249,000, close to the middle of this list. Prices sit close to local earning power, at 3.2 times the median household income. Asking rents of $1,500 a month against that price put it in the top quarter of this list for gross return. Property crime is low too, at 469 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.4 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for Midland, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
4. Lapeer County
Lapeer's violent crime rate is 140 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the Michigan counties Resideline can measure. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. A median closing price of $295,000 puts it at roughly 117 percent of the middle figure for this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 486 per 100,000, or 0.4 times the median comparable US county. Asking rents run about $1,300 a month.
5. Allegan County
Police in Allegan reported 144 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Buyers there paid a median of $332,900, some 132 percent of the level across the counties measured. Both its crime rate and its price sit at the ends of this list, in the directions people expect them to. Against what households there earn, a home costs 3.9 times median income, in the top quarter of this list. Property offenses run at 885 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. For prices at street level, see Holland, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
6. Oakland County
Oakland's violent crime rate is 184 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the Michigan counties Resideline can measure. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median home closed at $359,266, roughly 142 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Both its crime rate and its price sit at the ends of this list, in the directions people expect them to. Households there earn a median of $99,070, about 138 percent of the median for these counties. Property offenses run at 810 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. Resideline publishes a separate page for Troy, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
7. Marquette County
Marquette records 247 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Michigan counties measured here. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. At $266,000, its median closed price is unremarkable against the rest of this list. A typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household's income, near the top of this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 564 per 100,000, or 0.5 times the median comparable US county. The median rental listing asks $1,375 a month.
8. Montcalm County
Police in Montcalm reported 248 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median closed price, $240,000, sits near the center of the counties measured. Asking rents of $1,500 a month against that price put it in the top quarter of this list for gross return. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 655 per 100,000, or 0.6 times the median comparable US county.
9. Lenawee County
Lenawee's violent crime rate is 255 per 100,000 residents, the middle range among the Michigan counties Resideline can measure. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. Homes there closed at a median of $234,000, close to the middle of this list. Property offenses run at 740 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. The median rental listing asks $1,250 a month. For prices at street level, see Adrian, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
10. Ottawa County
Ottawa records 275 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the middle range of the Michigan counties measured here. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median home closed at $390,000, roughly 154 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Against what households there earn, a home costs 4.3 times median income, in the top quarter of this list. Property offenses run at 785 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. Asking rents run about $1,725 a month. Resideline publishes a separate page for Hudsonville, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
11. Macomb County
At 283 violent offenses per 100,000, Macomb sits in the middle range of the places on this list. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. At $269,013, its median closed price is unremarkable against the rest of this list. Property offenses run at 1,076 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. The median rental listing asks $1,500 a month. For prices at street level, see Warren, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
12. Shiawassee County
Police in Shiawassee reported 290 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the middle range of this list. That is close to the median comparable US county, which records 245. Homes changed hands at a median $199,800, around 79 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. The ratio of price to local household income is 2.8, among the gentlest on this list. Property offenses run at 1,001 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. Asking rents run about $1,000 a month. Resideline publishes a separate page for Owosso, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
Does safety set the price in Michigan?
Somewhat, and less than you would expect. The safest third of these counties runs 31 percent above the highest-crime third on price. The same safe places also earn 24 percent more, so income explains part of the raw gap. This state-level comparison does not isolate density, housing mix or other factors that may explain the remainder.
It is the same pattern our national study found across 688 counties, where crime stopped predicting prices once income was accounted for. The method is set out in our study, Does Crime Actually Lower Home Prices?.
That is a county-level result. Within a county, research at the scale of a block or a neighborhood finds that violent crime does lower the value of the homes nearest to it, so use these figures to compare counties, not streets.
Where safety and affordability overlap in Michigan
Three of the 10 safest counties on this list also cost no more than the list's median once prices are set against local incomes: Clinton (104 violent per 100,000, a home at 2.8 times median household income); Midland (132 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.2 times median household income); Lenawee (255 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.3 times median household income). Against what households there earn, those are the counties where a low crime rate is not being charged for.
The large counties
Four counties here have more than 500,000 residents. Their median violent rate is 369 per 100,000 against 302 for the smaller counties on the list, and the quietest of them is Oakland at 184. It closes homes at a median of $359,266.
The counties we cannot rank
Larger Michigan places are missing from the table above. Every one with more than 150,000 residents is listed here with the reason.
- •Genesee, with about 402,000 residents, reports 88 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
How to read this list
The right way to use this is to narrow the list, then check the address. Averages at this scale hide the variation that actually matters once you are choosing between two houses.
Prices and rents are as of September 9, 2026, from closings and rental listings Resideline tracks over the previous 12 months; a price is shown where at least 100 closings were tracked and a rent where at least 50 listings were. Rent figures are the median asking rent on listings, not lease figures. Crime is the 2025 FBI Crime Data Explorer release, measured for the whole county over the months each agency reported, and violent crime means murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Household income is the Census SAIPE 2024 estimate of the county's median household income; population is the Census 2024 estimate. Where this page compares a rate with the median comparable US county, that figure (245 violent and 1188 property offenses per 100,000) is the median across the 874 US counties with at least 50,000 residents whose agencies reported on 90 percent or more of them for the year.
Sources and related pages
- •Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency-level offense counts for 2025, aggregated by county over the months each agency reported.
- •Income: Census SAIPE 2024, county median household income.
- •Population: Census county population estimates, vintage 2024.
- •Prices and rents: Resideline's tracked closings and rental listings, 12 months to September 2026.
- •Related: Safest counties by state; Does crime actually lower home prices?; Michigan housing market; Safest counties in Indiana; Safest counties in Ohio; Safest counties in Wisconsin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest county in Michigan?
Of the 31 Michigan counties measured here, Livingston County records the lowest violent crime rate at 90 offenses per 100,000 residents, against 245 for the median comparable US county. Homes there closed at a median of $391,262 over the last 12 months.
Is this every county in Michigan?
No. It covers 31 of the state's 83 counties, the ones where police agencies report at least 90 percent of the population to the FBI, the area has at least 50,000 residents, and the resulting rate falls inside the sanity bounds we apply. Whether Resideline has enough sales there decides only whether a price is shown. The larger places that miss those bars are listed on the page with the reason.
Does a lower crime rate mean higher home prices?
Less than most people assume. Comparing the safest third of these counties with the highest-crime third, the median closed price is 31 percent higher and household income 24 percent higher. Across 688 US counties we found that once income and other county characteristics are controlled for, a county's crime rate stops predicting its home prices. At the scale of a block, the research says violent crime does lower nearby values.
Is this crime rate for my neighborhood?
No. The FBI publishes these figures for whole counties, so every part of a county carries the same number here, from its densest district to its farmland. It is useful for narrowing a search and not a substitute for looking at a specific address.
Are these rents asking rents or lease rents?
They are the median asking rent on rental listings in the county over the last 12 months. That is what landlords advertised, a guide to the market rather than a lease figure.
About the author
Jeffrey Batista
Jeffrey Batista is the founder of Resideline, a real estate technology company building institutional grade valuation and investment analysis tools for real estate investors.
A software engineer with more than 10 years of experience, Jeffrey has worked across full stack development, infrastructure, data engineering, machine learning, and large scale systems. He left his engineering career to build Resideline full time.
Jeffrey is also a real estate investor with nearly a decade of hands on experience buying, renovating, managing, and analyzing residential properties. His experience on both sides of the industry, as an engineer and an investor, led him to build Resideline after seeing how fragmented and outdated many of the tools available to individual investors were.
Today, he leads the development of Resideline's proprietary data infrastructure, automated valuation models, rental analytics, and investment underwriting technology.