Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Michigan, you would:
Economy
be 29.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Michigan, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Carolina, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
Safety
be 16.4% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Michigan has a violent crime rate of 453 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 379 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 30.4% more likely to be a victim of property crime
Michigan has a property crime rate of 1,533 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 1,998 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 19.2% more for a home
The median home value in Michigan is $217,600 as of 2023, compared to $259,400 in North Carolina as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 14.1% less likely to smoke
In Michigan, 17.0% of adults smoke as of 2022. In North Carolina, that number is 14.6% as of 2022.
be 54.8% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Michigan, 3.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.
be 95.9% more likely to be uninsured
In Michigan, 4.9% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 9.6% as of 2023.
live in an area that is 25.8% more densely populated
Michigan has a population density of 68.5 people per sq km as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 86.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), OECD Regional Demography (2023). How we calculate this
