The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Michigan

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 541 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Michigan. #1 is Westwood, MI.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Michigan1. Westwood100th pct2. Roosevelt Park100th pct3. Ferrysburg100th pct4. Rogers City99th pct5. Solon98th pct6. Wheeler98th pct7. Wolf Lake97th pct8. Portland97th pct9. Center Line96th pct10. Fremont96th pct11. Richland96th pct12. Crystal96th pct13. Mancelona95th pct14. Buchanan95th pct15. Alma94th pct16. Green94th pct17. West Branch94th pct18. Sheridan94th pct19. Hancock93rd pct20. Gaylord93rd pct21. Holton93rd pct22. Tyrone92nd pct23. East Tawas92nd pct24. Portland91st pct25. Bainbridge91st pct
  1. 25Bainbridge, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 91% of Michigan towns

    2,682 people · Berrien County · median home $220,600 · income $74,574 · Jan low 20°F · 87 in snow

  2. 24Portland, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 91% of Michigan towns

    3,796 people · Ionia County · median home $166,200 · income $65,845 · Jan low 16°F · 45 in snow

  3. 23East Tawas, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 92% of Michigan towns

    2,663 people · Iosco County · median home $130,200 · income $42,450 · Jan low 13°F · 49 in snow

  4. 22Tyrone, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 92% of Michigan towns

    5,021 people · Kent County · median home $238,400 · income $69,773 · Jan low 14°F · 48 in snow

  5. 21Holton, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 93% of Michigan towns

    2,586 people · Muskegon County · median home $186,300 · income $72,910 · Jan low 16°F · 72 in snow

  6. 20Gaylord, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 93% of Michigan towns

    4,286 people · Otsego County · median home $192,800 · income $44,701 · Jan low 11°F · 140 in snow

  7. 19Hancock, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 93% of Michigan towns

    4,501 people · Houghton County · median home $165,600 · income $59,519 · Jan low 9°F

  8. 18Sheridan, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 94% of Michigan towns

    2,518 people · Newaygo County · median home $183,300 · income $76,042 · Jan low 16°F · 70 in snow

  9. 17West Branch, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 94% of Michigan towns

    2,567 people · Ogemaw County · median home $171,600 · income $62,955 · Jan low 10°F · 53 in snow

  10. 16Green, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 94% of Michigan towns

    3,219 people · Mecosta County · median home $156,200 · income $82,955 · Jan low 13°F · 61 in snow

  11. 15Alma, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 94% of Michigan towns

    9,488 people · Gratiot County · median home $115,900 · income $53,307 · Jan low 15°F · 39 in snow

  12. 14Buchanan, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 95% of Michigan towns

    3,436 people · Berrien County · median home $194,000 · income $66,783 · Jan low 19°F · 63 in snow

  13. 13Mancelona, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 95% of Michigan towns

    4,311 people · Antrim County · median home $159,900 · income $65,412 · Jan low 12°F · 137 in snow

  14. 12Crystal, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 96% of Michigan towns

    2,619 people · Montcalm County · median home $194,000 · income $56,087 · Jan low 15°F · 54 in snow

  15. 11Richland, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 96% of Michigan towns

    2,646 people · Montcalm County · median home $142,100 · income $50,862 · Jan low 15°F · 47 in snow

  16. 10Fremont, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 96% of Michigan towns

    3,167 people · Tuscola County · median home $144,400 · income $63,155 · Jan low 15°F · 49 in snow

  17. 9Center Line, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 96% of Michigan towns

    8,552 people · Macomb County · median home $156,600 · income $54,703 · Jan low 20°F · 28 in snow

  18. 8Portland, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 97% of Michigan towns

    3,881 people · Ionia County · median home $258,400 · income $101,890 · Jan low 16°F · 50 in snow

  19. 7Wolf Lake, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 97% of Michigan towns

    5,034 people · Muskegon County · median home $131,400 · income $51,637 · Jan low 21°F · 87 in snow

  20. 6Wheeler, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 98% of Michigan towns

    2,612 people · Gratiot County · median home $115,400 · income $61,149 · Jan low 15°F · 42 in snow

  21. 5Solon, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 98% of Michigan towns

    6,496 people · Kent County · median home $256,900 · income $86,958 · Jan low 14°F · 48 in snow

  22. 4Rogers City, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 99% of Michigan towns

    2,850 people · Presque Isle County · median home $110,200 · income $49,266 · Jan low 14°F · 85 in snow

  23. 3Ferrysburg, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 100% of Michigan towns

    2,952 people · Ottawa County · median home $239,900 · income $70,400 · Jan low 19°F · 87 in snow

  24. 2Roosevelt Park, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 100% of Michigan towns

    4,172 people · Muskegon County · median home $193,300 · income $62,857 · Jan low 21°F · 87 in snow

  25. 1Westwood, Michigan

    Better for first-time buyers than 100% of Michigan towns

    9,621 people · Kalamazoo County · median home $193,400 · income $58,205 · Jan low 18°F · 88 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Michigan towns0255075100$52K$166K$281K$396K$511KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Michigan.

More Michigan rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 541 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Michigan (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: