Living in Waterford, MI
Suburb in Michigan
Waterford is a suburb in Michigan, home to about 70,000 people, with 2.8 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Waterford a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Dog-friendly: 5 dog parks within 9 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $283k and rents for $1,720 a month
- Safe: violent crime is 0.5× the US rate (FBI 2019)
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Weaker public schools: test results below the US average
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Waterford ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Waterford: common questions
What is the cost of living in Waterford?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $283k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,720 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 100, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Waterford?
Michigan collects about $1,246 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.13% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Waterford safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.5× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Waterford?
Public schools in Waterford test below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 17 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Waterford?
Waterford has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 33°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 62″ of snow a year.
Does Waterford get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, tornadoes and cold waves: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.77 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Waterford?
The nearest major airport is DTW, about 31 mi away.
How Waterford scores
Each bar compares Waterford with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Waterford
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Michigan.
Is Waterford right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.