Located in the state of Michigan, Grand Rapids is a moderately-sized city with a population of 193,887 inhabitants. Grand Rapids has a population density of 4,362 people per square mile. This would be considered well above the national population density level. At 68%, the majority of the Grand Rapids population is White; this is followed by 20% Black and 2% Asian. The median age of all Grand Rapids residents is 31, which is well below the national average. This is a good indication that this city could be ideal for young singles.
Are you trying to figure out if living in Grand Rapids is the right fit for your lifestyle? To ensure a great experience before relocating to any new city in Michigan, you will probably want to make sure that you check all of the most important boxes. The best areas in Grand Rapids and in surrounding cities are easier to find when you are able to make informed decisions. Using data from cost of living, employment, housing, you will see a detailed breakdown of the most important information as well as comparisons to the Michigan and national averages.
Grand Rapids, MI receives 66 out of 100 for its livability score; this results in a ranking of #382 in Michigan and #16,273 in the USA. If we dig a little deeper into each category within the livability score, we see that Grand Rapids has higher than average rankings for the following: amenities (A+), cost of living (B) and housing (B-). There are some categories that Grand Rapids does not rank well for, including: crime (F), weather (D-), education (F) and employment (D-). It might be worth taking a closer look to figure out why.
Location, location, location - possibly the three most important words in your search for a new place to live. Fortunately, in Grand Rapids, there is no shortage of amazing local amenities and interesting things to do. Some of the notable things to do include: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Gerald R. Ford Museum, and John Ball Zoo.
Unemployment rates can range pretty dramatically from one city to another. Knowing that Grand Rapids has an unemployment rate of 0.88% probably means that there are ample job opportunities for you to consider as it is far below the national average.
Assuming that Grand Rapids meets all of your requirements, the next most important item to examine is the affordability of real estate in Grand Rapids. Everything else becomes a lot less important if it turns out that home prices in Grand Rapids are simply unattainable. The median home price for Grand Rapids homes is $113,600, which is 11.1% lower than the Michigan average. If we take a closer look at the affordability of homes in Grand Rapids, we’ll see that the home price to income ratio is 2.7, which is 8% higher than the Michigan average. Knowing if your home will appreciate on a long term or even a short term basis should be factored into your decision making. An increase in your home’s value can be a good way to generate tax-free equity that can create long term financial security. In the past year, appreciation rates for homes in the Grand Rapids area were 12.5% and 5 year appreciation rates were 12.5%.
| Statistic | Grand Rapids | Michigan | National |
| Average one way commute | 19min | 24min | 26min |
| Workers who drive to work | 75.0% | 82.5% | 76.4% |
| Workers who carpool | 10.9% | 8.8% | 9.3% |
| Workers who take public transit | 4.0% | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Workers who bicycle | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Workers who walk | 3.6% | 2.2% | 2.8% |
| Working from home | 4.2% | 3.7% | 4.6% |
| Walk | Bike | Compact | Car | S.U.V. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | |||||
| Duration | |||||
| Cost/Month |
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