Best Places48821, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 48821, 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.
48821 ranks 7,095th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 48821
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.
48821's strengths and weaknesses
Where 48821 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 48821 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 48821
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 48821 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $100,415, 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 48821's effective rate of 1.36%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 48821
48821 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 48821.
Who works in 48821, and how
Work in 48821 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 48821
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 48821.
What the weather is like in 48821, month by month
48821 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 61° | 47° | 35° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 61° |
| October | 65° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 48821
The nearest airport, Capital Region International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Detroit Metro Wayne County, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around 48821
Schools across 48821 average a C, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Horizon Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Delta Center Elementary SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Dimondale Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kenneth T Beagle Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Mason Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Charlotte Upper Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Holt Senior High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Eaton Rapids High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Grand Ledge High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 48821 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
48821 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 48821 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 48821
Is 48821 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 48821 ranks 7,095th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, civic engagement, and health care access, 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 48821 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $247,993. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $100,415 median income, cost of living beats 87% of zip codes.
Is 48821 safe?
Yes, 48821 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $191 per resident a year.
Compare 48821 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 48821. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 48821 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.
48821 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 48821: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 48821: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 48821: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 48821: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
48821 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.