Want To Live in One of These Bustling Midwest Suburbs? Here’s the Salary You Need

GOBankingRates recently conducted a study to find the fastest-growing suburbs in America and the cost of living in each. Among the top 50 cities, just four Midwest suburbs made the list (Texas towns dominated).

Two of the places were suburbs of Indianapolis, with growth of over 30% between 2018 and 2023. See the salary you need to make it in these bustling Midwestern suburbs.

• Suburb of: Indianapolis
• Population increase %: 35.3%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $112,482
• Household median income: $119,598
• Total cost of living annually: $56,241
• Average home value: $464,949

• Suburb of: Indianapolis
• Population increase %: 32.1%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $97,404
• Household median income: $97,589
• Total cost of living annually: $48,702
• Average home value: $352,278

• Suburb of: Minneapolis
• Population increase %: 31.9%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $105,007
• Household median income: $127,219
• Total cost of living annually: $52,503
• Average home value: $410,617

• Suburb of: Detroit
• Population increase %: 26.8%
• Income needed to live comfortably: $76,618
• Household median income: $40,103
• Total cost of living annually: $38,309
• Average home value: $161,629

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations/items listed.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found suburbs with 2023 populations between 20,000 and 100,000. Metro areas with at least 1 million people were kept for this study. GOBankingRates then found total population for 2023, total population for 2018 and household median income from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The percentage change in population from 2018 to 2023 was then calculated. The highest percentage changes were selected to represent the fastest-growing suburbs. The cost of living was sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous indexes. Using data fom the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure cost for each location was calculated. The average home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for February 2025 and average mortgage was calculated using Federal Reserve Economic Data. Cost of living then was calculated. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 24, 2025.