What it's like to live in Cadillac
Cadillac is a small city in Michigan with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cadillac deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Clean air
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
How Cadillac compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cadillac
Based on Cadillac's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,684
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $33,680 a year
- 52% of Cadillac renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$26,860
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $13,430
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 40% below US
$842/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $842 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $134,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $134,300 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
6.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Wexford County is 6.1%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Wexford County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 27% above US
417 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1866/100k · Cadillac Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 47% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 13.7 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 78°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 15°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 39% below US
22% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 22%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (56 miles away).
Bottom line
Cadillac's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($842/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, anyone who doesn't drive, and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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