Best Places48858, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 48858, 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.
48858 ranks 21,014th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 48858
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.
48858's strengths and weaknesses
Where 48858 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 92% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 82% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$651 a month, better than 80% of zip codes
Where 48858 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Household income$56,224 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 48858
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 48858 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,224, 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 48858's effective rate of 1.21%, 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 48858
48858 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 48858.
Who works in 48858, and how
Work in 48858 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 48858
48858 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 69% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 93% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 48858 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 48858, month by month
48858 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 31, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 25° | 20° |
| April | 57° | 45° | 36° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 61° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 48858
The nearest airport, MBS International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Detroit Metro Wayne County, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around 48858
Schools across 48858 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pine River Elementary SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Winn Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Fancher SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bullock Creek Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Mt Pleasant Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Shepherd Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Mt Pleasant Senior High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Beal City High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Shepherd High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 48858 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
48858 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 48858 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 48858 suits
Families
Schools land around the 22nd percentile and crime safety beats 59%.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 48858
Is 48858 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 48858 ranks 21,014th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, short commutes, and an educated workforce, 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 48858 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $182,983. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $56,224 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 48858 safe?
Yes, 48858 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $319 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 48858?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 31 with lows near 20. That works out to about 75 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of zip codes.
Is 48858 good for families?
Schools beat 22% of zip codes, crime safety beats 59%, and childcare runs $651 a month.
Compare 48858 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 48858. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 48858 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.
48858 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 48858: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 48858: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 48858: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 48858: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
48858 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.