In June and July, 3,000 randomly selected residents were asked to provide opinions on city services, amenities and quality of life in Ann Arbor via the National Community Survey™ (NCS). Survey results were weighted so that the demographic profile of respondents was representative of the demographic profile of adults in Ann Arbor. The city has conducted this community-wide survey bi-annually since 2008. The statistically valid survey captures the opinions of a representative sample of Ann Arbor residents.
According to NCS, “Overall quality of community life represents the natural ambience, services and amenities that make for an attractive community.” How residents rate their overall quality of life, NCS explains, is an indicator of the overall health of a community. The overall quality of life in Ann Arbor was rated as excellent or good by 89% of residents, 91% rated the city as an excellent or good place to live and 89% said they would recommend Ann Arbor as a place to live.
“The City of Ann Arbor strives to deliver high quality services, equitably and inclusively and it is gratifying that this year’s National Community Survey results show we are meeting and sometimes exceeding community expectations,” said Ann Arbor City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. “However, the results also underscore where there are opportunities to improve and where additional resources may need to be allocated in the next two-year budget process.”
Highest-performing areas:
- Mobility: Opinions on alternative modes of transportation ranked higher than like cities, with respondents experiencing ease of travel with walking (83%) and using public transportation (53%). Ease of travel by bike ranked similarly to other like communities, at 59%. In addition, use of alternative transportation in the last 12 months also ranked “*much higher” and “higher” than comparable cities, with respondents leaving the car in park for public transportation (*58%) and walking or biking (*83%).
- All items related to parks and recreation scored higher than the national benchmarks, reflecting high appreciation for these services from residents.
- Reviews for Ann Arbor’s preservation of natural areas and open space surpassed national averages and saw a statistically significant increase from the survey in 2022.
- Health services in Ann Arbor received praise from residents, with the availability of preventative health services, affordable quality healthcare and quality mental health care scoring higher than comparison communities.
- Safety remains a community strength in Ann Arbor, with all items either on par or exceeding national averages.
Lowest-performing areas:
- Ratings for the overall quality of the utility infrastructure and power (electric/gas) utility saw sharp declines from the previous iteration in 2022, scoring lower and much lower than national comparison communities respectively.
- Housing affordability remains a concern for residents, with both the availability of affordable quality housing and cost of living scoring below the national benchmarks.
Areas of greatest change since 2022:
Increases
- Economic impact on family income (+11%)
- Animal control (+11%)
- Ann Arbor open space (+8%)
- Preservation of natural areas (+7%)
- Sidewalk maintenance (+7%)
- Public information services (+7%)
Decreases
- Power (electric/gas) utility (-26%)
- Overall quality of the utility infrastructure (-16%)
- K-12 Education (-11%)
- Traffic signal timing (-10%)
- Ease of travel by car (-8%)
- Utility billing (-8%)
Previous survey results (PDF) (2007, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022 and 2024) are available on the city website as PDF reports. The 2024 survey results also are available in an online portal format.
