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28. Plymouth Township, MI
Plymouth Township
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 28
Population: 28,800
Compare Plymouth Township to Top 10 Best Places
Plymouth Township -- whose job market is based largely on the troubled auto industry -- has been working hard to attract more diversified employers lately.

A number of new research and development firms have moved into the area, and some existing businesses have branched out into energy.

The township gets high marks for education (the local high school looks more like a university campus) and for lesiure activities (Township Park for the kids; the adjacent 18-hole golf course for their parents). --D.G.

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Plymouth Township stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $116,528 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 -4.75% 19.58%
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Median home price $190,000 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 20.4% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 30.4% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 16 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 3,487 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 84.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 17.1° 21.0°
Median age 40.5 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $116,528 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $122,275 $95,041
State sales tax 6.00% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 4.35%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 4.35%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,998 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 -4.75% 19.58%
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Median home price $190,000 $262,148
Average property taxes N.A. $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 22 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 20.4% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 30.4% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 97.3/2.7 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 66.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 16 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 23.0 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 10.0% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.0% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 38 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 3,487 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 315 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 284 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 78 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 6 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 5 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.8 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 33.46 39.77
% clear days in the area 21 27
High temp in July ° F* 84.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 17.1° 21.0°
Median age 40.5 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 70.6% 71.9%
Married % 63.3% 62.9%
Divorced % 8.0% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 57.4 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data

(I) Income tax notes:
Local rates are excluded; 14 states have county or city level income taxes. In each of these states the average rate for all counties and cities, weighted by total personal income within each jurisdiction, is: 0.19% in Ala.; 0.06% in Ark.; 0.16% in Del.; 1.16% in Ind.; 0.3% in Iowa.; 0.76% in Ky.; 2.98% in Md.; 0.44% in Mich.; 0.12% in Mo.; 0.09% in N.J.; 1.7% in N.Y.; 1.82% in Ohio; 0.36% in Ore.; and 1.25% in Pa.
Deduction or exemption tied to federal tax system. Federal deductions and exemptions are indexed for inflation.
Additional $600 exemption per dependent under 18 years old.
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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