East Grand Rapids, Michigan
Area Profile
11,445 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for East Grand Rapids, in Kent County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesUnemployment is 4.3% and median household income $166,610, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, rather than for East Grand Rapids alone.
In the public schools here, 45% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 17.1 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, rather than for East Grand Rapids alone.
Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most cities measured: rent takes 22% of renter income and the median home is 3.0 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, is 4.3%, lower than in 51% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, fell 5.9% over the past year, to 326,643 employed residents.
80% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 98% of measured US cities.
Median household income of $166,610 is higher than in 97% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsKent County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $61,718 | 30th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftKent County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $68,458 | 41st percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$17,6462024 ACS 5-Year | $166,610 | Top 3%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$8,0132024 ACS 5-Year | $79,053 | Top 4%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.1% | Top 15%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.4 min | Top 15%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.9% | Top 2%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 64.1% | 17th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentKent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | 326,643 | Top 24%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Kent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | −7.2% | Bottom 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Kent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | −5.9% | Bottom 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceKent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | 341,451 | 76th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 87.5% | Top 16%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $60,660 | Bottom 17%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $47,570 | Bottom 21%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.5% | 80th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Kent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.7% | Top 19%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateKent County, MI’s figureJuly 2026 | 4.3% | Top 49%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 26.0% | 92nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 19,540 | $39,120 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 18,840 | $36,130 |
| Registered Nurses | 13,740 | $83,920 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 13,190 | $28,240 |
| Retail Salespersons | 12,600 | $34,800 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 11,490 | $35,890 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Kent County, MI, which contains this city.
45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, rather than for East Grand Rapids alone.
There are 17.1 students for every full-time teacher, more than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, rather than for East Grand Rapids alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Kent County, MI: too few schools in East Grand Rapids reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Michigan’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 5% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 95.0, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area is up 50% over five years, and up 4.5% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $7,474 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.43% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,531, below the $1,862 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,531 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $61,200 a year, about 37% of the median household income here of $166,610.
The typical renter household here spends 22% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,862 a month.
A median home at $521,300 costs 3.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $175,667, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 5% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against East Grand Rapids’s median household income of $166,610, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2023 | 95.0 | Top 28%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +4.5% | 74th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +49.8% | 77th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +125.7% | 93rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year | 3.0 | Bottom 36%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 93.9% | 85th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1702024 ACS 5-Year | 3,861 | 86th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,278 | Top 43%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,980 | Top 41%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,531 | Top 42%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$3622024 ACS 5-Year | $1,862 | Bottom 10%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$39,7192024 ACS 5-Year | $521,300 | 89th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$5622024 ACS 5-Year | $7,474 | 97th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$20,9592024 ACS 5-Year | $175,667 | Top 3%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.15%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.43% | 75th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.6% | Top 19%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±402024 ACS 5-Year | 35 | 78th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.9% | 61st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.8% | 17th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±562024 ACS 5-Year | 64 | 56th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 11,616 in 2024.
Federal tax returns show Kent County, which contains East Grand Rapids, lost about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $61,718, below the $68,458 of households that moved out.
At 3.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Kent County, MI, which contains East Grand Rapids, rather than for East Grand Rapids alone.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Ottawa County, MI 3,694 people · 16% of arrivals
- Allegan County, MI 909 people · 3.9% of arrivals
- Montcalm County, MI 810 people · 3.5% of arrivals
- Muskegon County, MI 798 people · 3.4% of arrivals
- Kalamazoo County, MI 691 people · 3.0% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Ottawa County, MI 4,720 people · 19% of departures
- Allegan County, MI 1,226 people · 5.0% of departures
- Montcalm County, MI 1,080 people · 4.4% of departures
- Barry County, MI 960 people · 3.9% of departures
- Muskegon County, MI 920 people · 3.7% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Kent County, MI. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and East Grand Rapids, MI is not one. This is the figure for Kent County, MI, which contains this city.
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 19°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 39.4 inches, including 77.6 inches of snow.
Air quality measures a median index of 51, in the Moderate band, and one day a year passes 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 68 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 39.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 77.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 19°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 83°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 1 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 51 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 48°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 61% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 94% of measured US cities.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, inland flooding, cold wave, ice storm, landslide, earthquake, hail, lightning, wildfire, hurricane, drought, coastal flooding, tsunami, avalanche, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
East Grand Rapids's police department reported 43 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, lower than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 583.
Kent County records 3.3 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 11.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 9.7 per 100,000 residents in Kent County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by East Grand Rapids’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around East Grand Rapids (Kent County) rather than East Grand Rapids itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Gerald R Ford Intl at 6 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 97.7% | Top 14%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 6 mi | Top 13%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 5 | Top 45%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.0% | Top 15%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald R Ford Intl | GRR | 6 mi | 10,001 ft |
| Battle Creek Exec At Kellogg Fld | BTL | 48 mi | 10,004 ft |
| Capital Region Intl | LAN | 53 mi | 8,506 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Other cities in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | Kent County | 198,535 | 59 | Grand Rapids vs East Grand Rapids |
| Wyoming | Kent County | 77,353 | 58 | Wyoming vs East Grand Rapids |
| Kentwood | Kent County | 54,296 | 61 | Kentwood vs East Grand Rapids |
| Forest Hills | Kent County | 28,695 | 72 | |
| Allendale | Ottawa County | 26,679 | 63 | |
| Walker | Kent County | 25,386 | 66 | |
| Cutlerville | Kent County | 18,780 | 63 | |
| Jenison | Ottawa County | 17,582 | 64 | |
| Grandville | Kent County | 16,356 | 62 | |
| Northview | Kent County | 15,268 | 67 | |
| Ionia | Ionia County | 12,753 | 50 | |
| Grand Haven | Ottawa County | 10,996 | 64 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put East Grand Rapids side by side with a similar place.
Moving to East Grand Rapids from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.