What it's like to live in Howell
Howell is a small city in Michigan with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Howell deals with household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, cold, harsh winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- Cold, harsh winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Howell compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Howell
Based on Howell's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,354
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,080 a year
- 47% of Howell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$53,120
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $26,560
- Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 17% below US
$1,177/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,177 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $265,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $265,600 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Livingston County is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Livingston County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 63% below US
122 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 476/100k · Howell Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 17°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▼ 13% below US
31% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 31% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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 (56 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Howell's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,177/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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