Population
Norton Shores
25,000
Gardendale
16,110
Median Income
Norton Shores
$73,390
Gardendale
$81,215
Home Value
Norton Shores
$214,000
Gardendale
$234,900
Rent
Norton Shores
$1,286
Gardendale
$1,151
Crime Rate
Norton Shores
1.92
Gardendale
1.92
Cost of Living
Norton Shores
117.0
Gardendale
117.3
Avg Temp
Norton Shores
N/A
Gardendale
N/A
Unemployment
Norton Shores
5.5%
Gardendale
3.2%
How Similar Are Norton Shores & Gardendale?
Gardendale is Norton Shores's #19 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Norton Shores
25,000
Gardendale
16,110
Norton Shores has a 36% larger population than Gardendale.
Violent Crime
Norton Shores
1.92
Gardendale
1.92
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 0% difference.
Property Crime
Norton Shores
18.84
Gardendale
15.93
Norton Shores has a 15% higher property crime than Gardendale.
Political Leaning
Norton Shores
50.2%
Gardendale
44.2%
Norton Shores leans Republican while Gardendale leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Norton Shores
5.5%
Gardendale
3.2%
Norton Shores has a 42% higher unemployment than Gardendale.
Median Income
Norton Shores
$73,390
Gardendale
$81,215
Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.
Home Values
Norton Shores
$214,000
Gardendale
$234,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Norton Shores
23.5%
Gardendale
24.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Norton Shores
88.8%
Gardendale
69.3%
Norton Shores has a 22% higher demographics than Gardendale.
Cost of Living
Norton Shores
117.0
Gardendale
117.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Norton Shores and Gardendale share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Norton Shores
0
Gardendale
Norton Shores leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Norton Shores leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDNorton Shores has a fair market rent (1br) of $942 vs $1,155 in Gardendale (18% lower). Gardendale scores 117.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 131.2 in Norton Shores. Norton Shores scores 112.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 124.1 in Gardendale.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Gardendale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGardendale has a vacancy rate of 1.9% compared to 8.8% in Norton Shores. Gardendale has a median property tax of $1,224 vs $2,796 in Norton Shores (128% lower). Gardendale has a median rent of $1,151 vs $1,286 in Norton Shores (12% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGardendale has a unemployment rate of 3.2% compared to 5.5% in Norton Shores. Norton Shores: 12,091 vs Gardendale: 7,697 for labor force. Gardendale has a per capita income of $41,618 vs $35,856 in Norton Shores (14% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Norton Shores leads
Source: FBI UCRNorton Shores has a property crime clearance of 31.4% compared to 15.6% in Gardendale. Norton Shores has a violent crime clearance of 58.3% compared to 38.7% in Gardendale. Gardendale has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.18 compared to 1.72 in Norton Shores.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGardendale has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.1% compared to 23.5% in Norton Shores.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorton Shores has a population of 25,000, about 1.6x the size of Gardendale (16,110). Gardendale skews younger with a median age of 38.9 vs 40.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Norton Shores
Gardendale
Healthcare — Norton Shores leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNorton Shores: 5 vs Gardendale: 4 for with emergency services. Norton Shores: 3.7 vs Gardendale: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Norton Shores leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorton Shores has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Gardendale. Gardendale has a work from home of 10.1% compared to 9.7% in Norton Shores.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Norton Shores, MI
Compare Norton Shores against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.