This is Michigan’s Richest City

Michigan gets a bad rap nationally sometimes for the downtrodden areas, particularly in Detroit and Flint. Even when I moved to Michigan, I expected most of the wealthy areas to be near Grand Rapids, away from the struggles of the Motor City.

Of course, anyone who's spent any amount of time in Michigan would know that some of the wealthiest communities in all of Michigan are just outside of Detroit.

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But even those who know their stuff about the Detroit Metro area may not know exactly where the richest city or town is. Their first guesses usually involve Birmingham or one of the Grosse Pointe communities, but those guesses would be incorrect.

According to WAVY Norfolk, which released a list of the richest cities in each state, Mcihigan's most wealthy city is Orchard Lake Village.

Located in the northwestern reaches of the Detroit Metro, Orchard Lake Village is full of lakes and ponds and is almost entirely suburban. The city village has a nature preserve, a country club, and a school system, and that is pretty much it. All other activities involve heading southeast to West Bloomfield or northeast to Pontiac.

Of course, having so much lakefront property makes for a luxurious neighborhood, meaning people who live here need deep pockets. According to WAVY, the average household income in Orchard Lake Village is $206,750, or 175% of the national average. More than half of the households in Orchard Lake Village (54.7%) clear $200,000 annually.

Orchard Lake Village is currently in a buyer's market according to Rocket Homes. In the summer of 2023, homes were selling for a median price of $1.4 million, but that has since dropped to $978K. That's still double the price of homes in West Bloomfield, which has a median home price of $410K.