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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-SOUTH-LYON-MI · South Lyon, MI 11,825 pop · income 65th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around South Lyon
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest South Lyon on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Picayune · lowest
37,270
Picayune · lowest
37,270 median HH income
22.1% of the leader · rank #1
Twin Creeks · near
83,821
Twin Creeks · near
83,821 median HH income
49.7% of the leader · rank #2
South Lyon · this city
83,822
South Lyon · this city
83,822 median HH income
49.7% of the leader · rank #3
New Berlinvil… · near
83,827
New Berlinvil… · near
83,827 median HH income
49.8% of the leader · rank #4
Borrego Sprin… · near
83,836
Borrego Sprin… · near
83,836 median HH income
49.8% of the leader · rank #5
Lake Seneca · near
83,839
Lake Seneca · near
83,839 median HH income
49.8% of the leader · rank #6
East Grand Ra… · highest
168,487
East Grand Ra… · highest
168,487 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for South Lyon on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 11,825.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
South Lyon - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, South Lyon lands in the 65th percentile for household income and the 91st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
65th
percentile, household income
62nd
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
91st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: South Lyon, MI
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 11,825 residents in South Lyon, a small town within Michigan. Median household income here is $83,822 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 1.7%. South Lyon's housing stock carries a median value of $280,900, and the median resident age is 41.8 years. 45.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 67.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 14 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 75% from five years earlier. South Lyon reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 349.7 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Michigan run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Michigan scores 96.2 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,113 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Michigan's average monthly utility costs around $238 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 49.6 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of South Lyon's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For South Lyon, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in South Lyon?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 349.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 85% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Is South Lyon growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +380 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 14 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Which cities make useful reference points for South Lyon?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Niles (11,838 residents, $47,815 income); Fenton (11,950 residents, $83,077 income); New Baltimore (12,060 residents, $97,027 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Wallington, NJ (11,825 residents); Westview, FL (11,823 residents); Endwell, NY (11,821 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
What does the journey to work look like in South Lyon?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in South Lyon?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.4×
Home value
$280,900
Household income
$83,822
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for South Lyon?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 45.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
1.7%
Bachelor's degree+
45.0%
Matched public schools
1
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
B
City profile score · South Lyon, MI
73/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate A
1.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime A-
58 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B+
45.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income C+
$83,822
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living C
96.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
South Lyon profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 88/100 (A) · 1.7%
Violent crime: 82/100 (A-) · 58 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 79/100 (B+) · 45.0%
Household income: 63/100 (C+) · $83,822
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Where South Lyon sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
South Lyon's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - South Lyon highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
South Lyon, MI (this city): home $280,900, crime 350/100k
Wallington, NJ : home $493,700, crime 1,598/100k
Palos Heights, IL : home $350,000, crime 925/100k
Lawrenceburg, KY : home $185,400, crime 596/100k
Picayune, MS : home $146,500, crime 2,884/100k
Niles, MI : home $115,400, crime 2,352/100k
Fenton, MI : home $211,700, crime 2,566/100k
New Baltimore, MI : home $309,800, crime 443/100k
Farmington, MI : home $273,000, crime 441/100k
East Grand Rapids, MI : home $488,500, crime 1,145/100k
Grosse Pointe Park, MI : home $460,500, crime 1,584/100k
How does South Lyon compare to other US cities?
Here's how South Lyon stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income65% higher than other cities
Home value62% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
Safety91% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Michigan and the picture shifts: South Lyon ranks #18 of 254 Michigan cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares South Lyon against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Michigan only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Michigan-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places South Lyon near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, South Lyon ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares South Lyon only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#111 of 718
85th percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#86 of 721
88th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#626 of 727
14th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#96 of 727
87th percentile in Michigan
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Michigan only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
65th percentile nationally for median household income · 91st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
South Lyon's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
South Lyon's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How South Lyon's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$280,90038th percentilemore affordable than 38% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
South Lyon's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,343 of 15,516
More affordable than 46% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,341 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.4×, South Lyon sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,343 of 15,516 and #1,341 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$83,822South Lyon, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context South Lyon, MI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for South Lyon, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)45.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
11,825
Median Income
$83,822
Median Home Value
$280,900
Median Age
41.8
Poverty Rate
1.7%
Labor force participation
67.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
45.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
349.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
58.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
291.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
South Lyon's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
11,727 residents
2021
11,863 residents
2022
11,877 residents
2023
11,973 residents
2024
12,082 residents
2025
12,107 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
14
housing units authorized
Single-Family
14
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
56
44
12
$14.6M
2020
59
23
36
$10.8M
2021
52
46
6
$20.5M
2022
68
60
8
$27.4M
2023
44
44
0
$16.5M
2024
14
14
0
$7.4M
Permit volume decreased 75% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
82.1%
Carpool
5.1%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
11.1%
Other
0.6%
Based on 6,477 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Michigan statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $238
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Michigan at $238 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Michigan statewide averages, not a meter reading for South Lyon. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Michigan's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around South Lyon is $1,113/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Michigan statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Michigan statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county South Lyon sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How South Lyon compares to similar-size Michigan cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.