What it's like to live in Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant 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 a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mount Pleasant deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
How Mount Pleasant compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mount Pleasant
Based on Mount Pleasant's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,844
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $36,880 a year
- 51% of Mount Pleasant renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,620
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,310
- Homes cost 3.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 35% below US
$922/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $922 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 $173,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $173,100 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 79% above US
7.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 7.7%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 28% above US
420 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 1199/100k · Mount Pleasant Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 42% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 19% above US
43% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Mount Pleasant's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($922/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, people who want short commutes, and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Mount Pleasant
All Michigan guides →Moving to Midland →
27 mi away · pop. 42,724
Rent $1,048/mo · Income $73,325
Compare with Mount Pleasant →Moving to Saginaw →
43 mi away · pop. 43,536
Rent $922/mo · Income $38,579
Compare with Mount Pleasant →Moving to Bay City →
44 mi away · pop. 32,320
Rent $766/mo · Income $49,420
Compare with Mount Pleasant →Not sure Mount Pleasant is the one?
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