What it's like to live in Hazel Park
Hazel Park is a small city in Michigan with home prices that remain within reach and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Hazel Park deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Hazel Park compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Hazel Park
Based on Hazel Park's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,628
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,560 a year
- 39% of Hazel Park renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$31,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,860
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,314/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,314 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $158,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $158,600 · 39% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Oakland County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Oakland County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 20% below US
265 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1405/100k · Hazel Park Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 25% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is River Raisin National Battlefield Park (41 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Hazel Park's strongest point is home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,314/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Hazel Park
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