What it's like to live in Roseville
Roseville is a small city in Michigan with rent below the national average, 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. Roseville deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Roseville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Roseville
Based on Roseville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,466
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,320 a year
- 53% of Roseville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$31,160
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,580
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,233/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,233 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $155,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $155,800 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 40% above US
6.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 6.0%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 54% above US
507 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 3196/100k · Roseville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.7 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; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 57% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
13 public schools inside the boundary
There are 13 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 (47 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Roseville'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 ($1,233/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Roseville
All Michigan guides →Moving to St. Clair Shores →
2 mi away · pop. 58,140
Rent $1,183/mo · Income $73,500
Compare with Roseville →Moving to Eastpointe →
3 mi away · pop. 33,982
Rent $1,325/mo · Income $62,325
Compare with Roseville →Not sure Roseville is the one?
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