Dearborn, MI — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Michigan·Dearborn

Wayne County · Detroit-Warren-Dearborn · population 106,377

First-time buyersShrinking
Dearborn, MI
Image: Wikipedia · Dearborn, Michigan
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
71
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Dearborn stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 4.2% in the last year. population shrinking 0.8% per year. rents up 8.5% in the last year.

Median home $248,262
1-year +4.2%
5-yr CAGR +6.7%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.8%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$248k$107k$157k$208k$258k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
76/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,783/mo$1,354$1,622$1,890202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131123100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.6
Buy

At a 11.6 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Dearborn on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.6 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
71 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
73 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
33 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
81 · w10%
Long thesis

Dearborn has held up across the cycle: home values at $248,262 with +6.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Dearborn's population is shrinking 0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Dearborn

Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, with an estimated population of 106,377. It anchors the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area. The population has contracted 0.8% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Dearborn is $248,262 as of 2026-04, up 4.2% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.7% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Dearborn average $1,783 per month, up 8.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 71 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $248,262 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.7% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +4.2% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 8.5% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
●Rental squeeze: rents up 8.5% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

About Dearborn (Wikipedia)

Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the north and east, roughly 7 miles (11.3 km) west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976, ranking as the seventh-most populous city in Michigan. Dearborn is best known as the hometown of the Ford Motor Company and of its founder, Henry Ford.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorAbdullah Hammoud (D)
Area24.52 sq mi
Elevation591 ft
Motto"Home Town of Henry Ford"
Density4535.65/sq mi
Named forHenry Dearborn

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Wayne County right now.

NWS active alerts (MI)Michigan Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Wayne County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Dearborn

29 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Golfcrest$986,170+16.9%
2Cherry Hill Estates$739,818+3.9%
3Riverbend$482,748+5.1%
4Dearborn Hills$423,811+2.8%
5Golfview Oaks$409,664+7.1%
6North Dearborn Park$359,076-1.3%
7Springwells Park$340,086+4.0%
8Fort Dearborn Manor$339,474+1.7%
9Highland$314,416+5.8%
10Ford Historic District$309,808+4.4%
11Howard Park$303,726+5.5%
12Levagood-Clark$298,617+2.8%
13Volks$267,439+3.2%
14Aviation$257,230+0.5%
15Duvall-Edison$254,389+3.3%
16Fordson$245,700+8.5%
17Hemlock$243,689+4.9%
18Snow Woods$242,827+4.1%
19Woodworth$233,614+4.8%
20Eastborn$230,564+5.0%
21Crestview$227,798+5.3%
22Ford Woods$222,818+5.1%
23Henry Ford$222,263+3.7%
24Oxford$210,396+5.8%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Dearborn

Dearborn Heights, MI67 · RisingBattle Creek, MI72 · RisingKalamazoo, MI68 · RisingKentwood, MI73 · Rising

Run the numbers for Dearborn

ToolCan I afford Dearborn?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Dearborn rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Dearborn to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDearborn cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
30° / 16°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 61°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
175
~48% of year
Annual precip
33″ rain
50″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Dearborn listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$68,500
Michigan state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)HealthcareTech (Detroit)

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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