Wayne County · Official 2025 state millage

Highland Park property taxes & housing data

Highland Park is taxed at 63.2210 mills across 1 school district. That is 13.14 mills above the Wayne County median and 30.62 mills above the Southeast Michigan median — the 39th lowest of 43 municipalities in the county, and 231 of 236 region-wide.

Rates by school district

School districtHomesteadNon-homestead$250,000$350,000$500,000
Highland Park City School District63.221079.2184$7,903$11,064$15,805

Homestead (PRE) applies to your primary residence. Non-homestead applies to rentals and second homes. Dollar columns are the annual bill at the uncapped taxable value — half the purchase price — at the homestead rate.

One district, one rate. All of Highland Park sits in Highland Park City School District, so the rate does not change by address. What still changes is your bill: it is set on the uncapped value the year after you buy, not on the seller's capped amount.

How Highland Park compares in Wayne County

Municipality Lowest millageAnnual tax on $350,000
Grosse Pointe Woods55.2398$9,667
Trenton56.5996$9,905
Southgate58.4267$10,225
Melvindale60.0462$10,508
Highland Park63.2210$11,064
Detroit64.1844$11,232
Harper Woods69.1266$12,097
Ecorse71.6508$12,539
River Rouge73.6904$12,896

← Melvindale (lower)  ·  Detroit (higher) →

For sale in Highland Park right now

76 active listings in Highland Park — the 6 newest below. Remember: every one of them uncaps the year after closing, so the bill you should budget is the uncapped one above, not the seller's.

IDX provided courtesy of Realcomp II Ltd. via Match Realty LLC and Realcomp II Ltd, ©2026 Realcomp II Ltd. Shareholders. The accuracy of all information, regardless of source, is not guaranteed or warranted. All information should be independently verified. Listings refreshed 2026-09-04T09:58-04:00; refreshed at least twice daily.

Compare Highland Park with another community

Highland Park has 4 side-by-side comparisons. Dollar columns are the annual homestead bill on a $350,000 home at the uncapped taxable value, and the last column is the difference against Highland Park.

Comparison Their lowest millageAnnual tax on $350,000 vs Highland Park
Highland Park vs Harper Woods69.1266$12,097+$1,033
Highland Park vs Southgate58.4267$10,225−$839
Highland Park vs Melvindale60.0462$10,508−$556
Highland Park vs Detroit64.1844$11,232+$169

What it's like to own in Highland Park

Beyond the tax rate, three things shape what owning in Highland Park actually costs: the age of the homes, what the water utility reports at the tap, and what local air testing has turned up. Each figure below carries the date of the survey it came from.

Housing stock

1919

average year built · 1,702 sqft average across 2,587 single-family homes

SEMCOG Buildings_2024

Lead in drinking water

2 ppb

90th percentile for Highland Park · below Michigan's 12 ppb action level. Sampled at the fifth liter, which deliberately draws water that sat in the service line and reads higher by design — not comparable to systems that sample standard.

EGLE / MDHHS water-system monitoring, periods ending 2025-12-31

Radon

0.7 pCi/L

average across 10 home tests · 0% above the EPA 4 pCi/L action level — low. ZIP 48203.

MDHHS indoor radon test results by ZIP

Lead is measured at the water system, not the house — it cannot tell you whether a specific property has a lead service line. Radon is a ZIP-level test distribution, not a prediction for any one home; the EPA recommends testing every home regardless. Screening information only.

Common questions

What is the property tax rate in Highland Park, Michigan?

Highland Park is taxed at 63.2210 mills for a homestead (principal residence) under the official 2025 Michigan Department of Treasury millage report. On a $350,000 home at the uncapped taxable value that is about $11,064 a year.

Does the tax rate change by address within Highland Park?

No. All of Highland Park sits in Highland Park City School District, so the millage is 63.2210 at every address in the municipality. Your bill still changes after you buy, because it is recalculated on the uncapped taxable value rather than the seller's capped one.

How much are property taxes on a $350,000 home in Highland Park?

About $11,064 a year at the homestead rate. Michigan taxes the taxable value, not the sale price, and after a sale that value uncaps to roughly half what you paid — so $350,000 is taxed on about $175,000.

Why is the tax bill on a Highland Park listing lower than what I would pay?

Because the figure on the listing is the seller's. Michigan caps annual taxable-value growth while an owner keeps the property, and that cap is removed the year after it sells. The longer the seller owned it, the further their bill sits below yours.

How does Highland Park compare with the rest of Wayne County?

It is the 39 lowest of 43 municipalities in Wayne County and 231 of 236 across the eight-county region — 13.14 mills above the county median.

Is down payment assistance available for homes in Highland Park?

Likely, but verify per program: 100% of the 58 Highland Park sales evaluated by Down Payment Resource over the last 12 months were flagged as potentially matching at least one assistance program. The flag is an indicator, not a promise — compare the programs and check your numbers.

Run your own numbers

What your Highland Park taxes become after you buy

Michigan taxable value uncaps the year after a sale and resets to roughly half the purchase price. The calculator below is already set to Highland Park — enter a price and the seller's current taxable value.

The one nobody else built

Uncapping calculator

When a Michigan home changes hands, its taxable value uncaps the following year and resets to roughly half the sale price. Buyers routinely get blindsided by a bill that's thousands higher than the listing showed. Here's your actual number.

Buyer Tool

What will your tax bill be after closing?

Your taxable value uncaps the year after closing and resets to roughly half the purchase price — so a $350,000 home is taxed on about $175,000, whatever the seller was paying. Enter the price and the current taxable value below.

236 municipalities across the 8-county Southeast Michigan region.
Most cities span several districts, and the rate difference between them can exceed 10 mills. This is the step every other calculator skips.
Auto-filled from the official 2025 state report. Override it with the exact rate from your tax bill if you have it.
Not the same as market value or SEV. This is what's capped today.
Non-homestead adds roughly 18 mills of school operating tax.
Your annual tax increase
Seller pays today
Your new taxable value
You'll pay after uncapping
Added to monthly escrow
Why this matters: the increase hits in the tax year after your closing — so your first year looks fine and year two jumps. Lenders often escrow off the seller's old bill, which creates a shortage and a payment increase you didn't plan for.

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