Best Places48049, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 48049, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
48049 ranks 12,342nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 48049
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
48049's strengths and weaknesses
Where 48049 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 48049 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 22% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 48049
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 48049 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,410, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 48049's effective rate of 0.85%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 48049
48049 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 48049.
Who works in 48049, and how
Work in 48049 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 48049
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 48049.
What the weather is like in 48049, month by month
48049 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 26° | 20° |
| April | 56° | 45° | 36° |
| July | 82° | 71° | 61° |
| October | 62° | 52° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 48049
The nearest airport, Bishop International, is about 60 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Detroit Metro Wayne County, about 69 miles away.
The best schools in and around 48049
Schools across 48049 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Avoca Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- John F Farrellemmett Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Edison Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Yale Junior High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Fort Gratiot Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Central Middle SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Port Huron Northern High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Yale Senior High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Port Huron High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 48049 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
48049 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 48049 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 48049
Is 48049 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 48049 ranks 12,342nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, low crime, and heat safety, and lowest on car insurance costs and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 48049 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $241,212. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $81,410 median income, cost of living beats 63% of zip codes.
Is 48049 safe?
Yes, 48049 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $200 per resident a year.
Compare 48049 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 48049. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 48049 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
48049 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 48049: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 48049: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 48049: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 48049: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
48049 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.