The 10 Dumbest Places In Michigan For 2024


The dumbest places in Michigan are Ecorse and Springfield for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Wolverine State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.

While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.

We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Michigan have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.

A recent study we published found that Michigan is the 26th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 99.

But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Michigan are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Dumbest Cities In Michigan Map

Don’t freak out.

Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.

For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 151 cities in Michigan to rank. You can take a look at the data below.

For more Michigan reading, check out:

The 10 Dumbest Places In Michigan For 2024

Ecorse, MI

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 9,292
% Adult High School Dropout: 29.0%
% Highly Educated: 7.0%
More on Ecorse: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Springfield, MI

Source: Flickr User coldwarspy1973 | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 5,268
% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 6.0%
More on Springfield: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

River Rouge, MI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 7,200
% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on River Rouge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Benton Harbor, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Humbles Art | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10
Population: 9,101
% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Benton Harbor: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Melvindale, MI

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 12,639
% Adult High School Dropout: 33.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Melvindale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Lincoln Park, MI

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 39,807
% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 10.0%
More on Lincoln Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Inkster, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Dwight Burdette | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 25,839
% Adult High School Dropout: 16.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Inkster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

St. Louis, MI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 6,932
% Adult High School Dropout: 14.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on St. Louis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Saginaw, MI

Source: Wikipedia User Andrew Jameson | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 44,316
% Adult High School Dropout: 16.0%
% Highly Educated: 13.0%
More on Saginaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Muskegon Heights, MI

Source: Flickr User dsrins_syb | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 9,954
% Adult High School Dropout: 14.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Muskegon Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Wolverine State

We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.

So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.

In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Michigan:

  • % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
  • % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)

We got the data from the U.S. Census 2018-2022 American Community Survey.

Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Michigan from dumbest to brightest.

For this ranking, we used every Michigan city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2024, and it’s our tenth time ranking the dumbest cities in Michigan.

There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep

If you’re measuring the locations in Michigan where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.

The dumbest cities in Michigan are Ecorse, Springfield, River Rouge, Benton Harbor, Melvindale, Lincoln Park, Inkster, St. Louis, Saginaw, and Muskegon Heights.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Michigan, according to science:

  1. Huntington Woods
  2. Birmingham
  3. East Grand Rapids

For more Michigan reading, check out:

Dumbest Cities In Michigan For 2024

Rank City Population % Adult High School Dropout % Highly Educated
1 Ecorse, MI 9,292 29.0% 7.0%
2 Springfield, MI 5,268 19.0% 6.0%
3 River Rouge, MI 7,200 20.0% 8.0%
4 Benton Harbor, MI 9,101 20.0% 9.0%
5 Melvindale, MI 12,639 33.0% 12.0%
6 Lincoln Park, MI 39,807 19.0% 10.0%
7 Inkster, MI 25,839 16.0% 12.0%
8 St. Louis, MI 6,932 14.0% 8.0%
9 Saginaw, MI 44,316 16.0% 13.0%
10 Muskegon Heights, MI 9,954 14.0% 9.0%
11 Ionia, MI 13,081 14.0% 10.0%
12 Flint, MI 81,863 15.0% 13.0%
13 Dowagiac, MI 5,680 16.0% 15.0%
14 Pontiac, MI 61,965 19.0% 16.0%
15 Coldwater, MI 13,704 13.0% 12.0%
16 Sturgis, MI 11,050 16.0% 15.0%
17 Highland Park, MI 9,032 17.0% 16.0%
18 Taylor, MI 62,937 14.0% 15.0%
19 Detroit, MI 636,787 17.0% 17.0%
20 Hamtramck, MI 27,842 30.0% 19.0%
21 Eastpointe, MI 34,087 13.0% 15.0%
22 Roseville, MI 47,476 12.0% 14.0%
23 Lapeer, MI 9,034 12.0% 14.0%
24 Wayne, MI 17,568 12.0% 15.0%
25 Muskegon, MI 38,286 12.0% 15.0%
26 Center Line, MI 8,493 14.0% 17.0%
27 Greenville, MI 8,866 13.0% 16.0%
28 Romulus, MI 25,055 13.0% 16.0%
29 Adrian, MI 20,607 15.0% 19.0%
30 Jackson, MI 31,420 12.0% 16.0%
31 Belding, MI 5,942 10.0% 14.0%
32 Mount Clemens, MI 15,679 12.0% 17.0%
33 Warren, MI 138,588 14.0% 20.0%
34 New Haven, MI 6,200 15.0% 22.0%
35 Alpena, MI 10,200 8.0% 14.0%
36 Burton, MI 29,568 10.0% 16.0%
37 Eaton Rapids, MI 5,201 10.0% 15.0%
38 Owosso, MI 14,678 11.0% 18.0%
39 Richmond, MI 5,852 13.0% 22.0%
40 Albion, MI 7,732 11.0% 19.0%
41 Menominee, MI 8,429 8.0% 15.0%
42 Southgate, MI 29,948 11.0% 20.0%
43 Niles, MI 11,871 10.0% 17.0%
44 Allegan, MI 5,180 7.0% 13.0%
45 Escanaba, MI 12,403 11.0% 20.0%
46 Hazel Park, MI 15,065 12.0% 23.0%
47 Cadillac, MI 10,400 10.0% 19.0%
48 Port Huron, MI 28,881 10.0% 19.0%
49 Wyandotte, MI 24,857 10.0% 21.0%
50 Wyoming, MI 76,732 12.0% 24.0%
51 Charlotte, MI 9,273 8.0% 17.0%
52 Three Rivers, MI 7,923 7.0% 16.0%
53 Monroe, MI 20,400 10.0% 19.0%
54 Flat Rock, MI 10,448 9.0% 19.0%
55 Dearborn Heights, MI 62,474 11.0% 25.0%
56 Holly, MI 5,997 10.0% 22.0%
57 Battle Creek, MI 52,469 10.0% 22.0%
58 Westland, MI 84,806 10.0% 22.0%
59 Fraser, MI 14,668 9.0% 21.0%
60 Dearborn, MI 108,414 16.0% 34.0%
61 Manistee, MI 6,248 10.0% 23.0%
62 Lansing, MI 112,986 11.0% 28.0%
63 Gladstone, MI 5,231 6.0% 18.0%
64 Hastings, MI 7,504 8.0% 23.0%
65 Sterling Heights, MI 133,744 12.0% 32.0%
66 Riverview, MI 12,390 8.0% 24.0%
67 Sault Ste. Marie, MI 13,409 8.0% 25.0%
68 Madison Heights, MI 28,521 10.0% 32.0%
69 Davison, MI 5,114 8.0% 26.0%
70 Hillsdale, MI 8,005 7.0% 24.0%
71 Utica, MI 5,195 8.0% 27.0%
72 Swartz Creek, MI 5,865 6.0% 21.0%
73 Kentwood, MI 54,042 10.0% 36.0%
74 New Baltimore, MI 12,104 8.0% 28.0%
75 Grand Rapids, MI 198,096 11.0% 39.0%
76 St. Johns, MI 7,711 6.0% 24.0%
77 Woodhaven, MI 12,867 6.0% 24.0%
78 Harper Woods, MI 15,296 7.0% 26.0%
79 Zeeland, MI 5,701 7.0% 27.0%
80 Kalamazoo, MI 73,342 10.0% 37.0%
81 Ishpeming, MI 6,191 6.0% 25.0%
82 Tecumseh, MI 8,678 6.0% 25.0%
83 Allen Park, MI 28,395 7.0% 28.0%
84 Marysville, MI 9,973 6.0% 27.0%
85 Ironwood, MI 5,088 4.0% 21.0%
86 Holland, MI 34,186 8.0% 33.0%
87 Alma, MI 9,436 5.0% 25.0%
88 Ludington, MI 7,691 6.0% 28.0%
89 Milan, MI 6,153 6.0% 33.0%
90 Grandville, MI 16,017 6.0% 37.0%
91 St. Clair Shores, MI 58,656 5.0% 29.0%
92 St. Clair, MI 5,496 4.0% 26.0%
93 Walled Lake, MI 7,262 5.0% 30.0%
94 Howell, MI 10,067 5.0% 30.0%
95 Flushing, MI 8,349 5.0% 30.0%
96 Grand Blanc, MI 8,034 6.0% 40.0%
97 Trenton, MI 18,420 4.0% 27.0%
98 Norton Shores, MI 24,984 5.0% 32.0%
99 Rockford, MI 6,144 7.0% 47.0%
100 Big Rapids, MI 7,915 4.0% 30.0%
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

4 thoughts on “The 10 Dumbest Places In Michigan For 2024

  1. I M LOOKING TO RELOCATE OUT OF MONROE AND WANT SOME IDEAS WERE THE BEST SCHOOLS R IN MICHIGAN OR IF U DO OTHER SATATES

    1. I agree. Went to both. I also went to metro detroit schools. Troy schools is far more superior then any school I’ve ever been in.

  2. Your criteria should be test scores and gpa’s not drop outs and people without diplomas. Your artical is, in my opinion, bs. You have no idea how smart someone is based on such weak material…smh. Troll

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