Clawson vs Farmington

Which is the better fit for you?

Clawson, MI
67
Area Score
Top 21% nationally
Farmington, MI
71
Area Score
Top 12% nationally

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Farmington receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Clawson to Farmington

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 98.2 against 98.2 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$202 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,612 in Farmington against $1,410 in Clawson.
The median home
11% more
$297,200 in Farmington against $267,100 in Clawson.
The weather you would swap
Winters 3°F colder
Normal January lows are 17°F in Farmington against 20°F in Clawson; July highs are 82°F against 84°F (summers 2°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Clawson
Farmington
Opportunity: Farmington is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
51 · Bottom 39%
vs
53 · Bottom 43%
Growth: Clawson is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
52 · Top 47%
vs
51 · Top 48%
Climate: Clawson is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
63 · Bottom 28%
vs
61 · Bottom 17%
Physical resilience
94 · Top 5%
vs
94 · Top 5%
Housing affordability: Farmington is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
83 · Top 8%
vs
97 · Top 1%
Schools: Farmington is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
54 · Top 44%
vs
67 · Top 29%
Access: Farmington is the more favorable of the two.
Access
89 · Bottom 37%
vs
94 · Top 43%
Economic stability: Clawson is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
77 · Top 9%
vs
69 · Top 27%

Measured values

MetricClawsonFarmingtonSource period
Population11,37411,5042024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$88,636$97,750 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$52,141 ±$3,511$54,364 ±$4,5292024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,170/sq mi4,320/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$267,100$297,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,253 ±$126$1,340 ±$542024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,410 — more favorable$1,612FY2026
Cost of living index98.298.22023
Homeownership rate75.4%61.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.8%4.8%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.5%−0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher45.8%62.4% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate5.9% ±2%3.5% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)181412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.6 — more favorable1.212 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+63.6%+366.7%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F82°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low20°F17°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation29.9"29.2"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport25 mi17 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate24.4 min ±1.5 min25.7 min ±2.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.439.02024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher15.6 — more favorable16.82024-25 school year
Math proficiency37.0%50.9% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency52.6%59.8% — more favorable2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Clawson
—
Clawson: Your Score
67
Area Score
Farmington
—
Farmington: Your Score
71
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Clawson, MI · Farmington, MI · How this is calculated: methodology