16 Pros and Cons of Living in Warren City, MI

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In Warren City, Michigan, you can indulge your suburban senses with peaceful sidewalks meandering around picket fence-protected two-story houses.

The city is less than half an hour from the big city neighborhood of Detroit, which is an easy commute.

Learn more about life in Warren City to see if this is where you want to choose your next home.

Pros of Living in Warren City, MI

1. Inner Ring Suburb of Detroit

Stay 13 miles from downtown Detroit with a move to the inner city suburb of Warren City, Michigan.

Major league sports, the Henry Ford experience, and The Belt are all prominent fixtures in Detroit.

This is also where most of the locals work to earn the most money.

For artists, the Detroit Institute of Arts is where you can find thousands of works of art to study on view.

Detroit is a historical center for the automobile industry, and you will also see plenty of old-school classic cars driving around.

2. Short Commute Time

Warren City is only 34 square miles, making this one of the smallest cities in the US.

Driving across town takes about 20 minutes.

The driving time to Detroit from Warren is also about 20 minutes, which is great if you want to work in Detroit and live in Warren City.

Save time and avoid heavy traffic by living in the suburban city and making the big bucks of Detroit.

3. Low Housing Cost

Expect to pay about $160,000 for your dream family home in Warren City, MI.

This is an affordable cost for housing, which is one of the reasons families are attracted to this Michigan city.

Furthermore, the housing expenses that come with home maintenance and improvements are a surprising 46 percent less than the US average.

Renters pay about $750 a month and utility bills are 6 percent lower than the average of all US cities.

4. Low Unemployment Rate

A super low rate of 3.6 percent was the May 2023 unemployment rate in Warren City.

There are more than 62,000 adults working in the labor pools of Warren, which starts with the biggest employer–General Motors.

The job market and employment rate increased from 2020 to 2021, indicating positive job growth. You simply cannot not work in Warren, it seems.

5. Low Cost of Living

The low cost of living in Warren is a reason for homeowners to choose this Detroit suburb.

The cost of living is 92.8, which is lower than the 100 index and standard.

The cost of living in Warren City is 7 points lower than the rest of Michigan and two points lower than the rest of the nation.

Keep your costs low and reduce spending and debt by moving to Warren from a more expensive city.

6. Nearly 200 Days of Sunshine Annually

Do you love the sun? The sun shines for 181 days a year on average in Warren City, MI.

Half the year you get to see the sunlight.

This is great for anyone suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is most common in the Northern US states.

You might even see a more tanned complexion and maybe even a freckle or two when you move to Warren City.

7. 3rd Largest City in Michigan

If you want to live in an urban setting, consider Warren City, Michigan.

Warren City is the third largest and most populated city in MI.

You get the feel of small-town America without being in the dead-set center of Detroit.

Be able to visit and shop in Detroit or maybe work in the big city, while affording lower-cost housing that is safer in Warren.

8. Manufacturing Sector

The city of Warren is home to several automobile manufacturers that have been shut down for decades after the Car Boom of the Fifties.

This includes the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, the Truck Assembly plant for Chrysler, and a General Motors Technical Center.

As a result, Warren City has strong roots in the automobile-making history of Michigan.

Cons of Living in Warren City, MI

1. Lack of Restaurants

There is an Olive Garden Restaurant in Warren, MI, along with an Arby’s and the Mexico City Restaurant.

You will also find a Pizza Hut and Domino’s plus about five other local pizzerias.

Otherwise, food establishments in Warren are lacking.

Maybe you can move to the MI city and spice things up a bit with a new food trend and menu concept!

2. Confused With Warren Township

In Michigan, there are two different locations–Warren City and Warren Township.

Often you will hear Warren used without a distinction between the two.

This might drive you crazy to deal with if you live in Warren City and are not in the Township.

The Warren city and township are in two different counties in the central and southeast parts of the state.

3. Warren City Was a Sundown Town

In the 1970s during the Civil Rights Movement, Warren City was a sundown town.

Anyone who was not white could not leave their home or work after sundown.

If you were seen out after sundown as a black person, for example, you would be arrested.

Living in a city with this racial inequality as part of history means you are likely to see remnants of the past.

If you struggle with racism, avoid moving to Warren City where racial prejudice may continue to be an issue.

4. Detroit Area History

Historically in the Seventies, as a result of the shutdown of the car plants, Detroit and surrounding suburbs went into hysteria.

This social chaos was associated with the mass loss of jobs and incomes to families.

The result was many Michigan families with high debt due to car ownership and no money to pay for food or housing.

Detroit continues to struggle with poverty and crime to an extreme degree.

Warren City is only 18 miles from downtown Detroit, and as a suburb, the smaller city of Warren is plagued by many of the same issues as its big-city counterpart.

5. General Motors Still Biggest Employer

In 2022, the biggest employer of residents in Warren City is General Motors.

While the manufacturing jobs for carmakers are long gone, the technical center for GM remains open today.

They have nearly 24,000 employees in Warren at GM, which means you might want to consider applying for a job at the plant.

If you do not want to work for a car manufacturer like GM, you might not want to work in a city where they started it all.

6. Lack of Housing

There are a couple of apartment buildings for families and some senior housing in Warren City, MI.

However, for the most part, the city lacks any fancy housing.

There are no historical districts or triple-decker housing in Warren.

You don’t see any super expensive skyscrapers either.

Instead, the housing is affordable and low-key, which might not satisfy your need for architecture.

7. Low Household Incomes

In Warren City, the median household income is between $44,000 and $52,000 on average for four people.

This is far lower than most cities in the US. For comparison, the national average is over $74,000 for the annual household income.

Therefore, if you make a lot of money, you may be a target to criminals who are living in poorer conditions.

In addition, you may struggle to increase your income and earnings if you choose to move and transfer your job to Warren from another city.

8. Not a Lot of Seniors

Only 17.3 percent of the population in Warren City is over 65 years old.

The highest percentage of residents are 25 to 44 at 30 percent.

Therefore, if you are someone who is a senior citizen looking for active senior living communities, consider another town.

There may also be a lack of senior activities in Warren.

Pros and Cons of Living in Warren City, MI – Summary Table

Warren Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Warren Safety Review

Safety Index:

58

• OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
• MUGGING RISK: HIGH
• TERRORISM RISK: LOW
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM