Jenison, Michigan

Area Profile

17,582 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Jenison, in Ottawa County.

64out of 100
Area Score
Top 33% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
Opportunity3,174th of 4,199 cities measured44
SchoolsTop 9% of 4,162 cities measured82
Growth2,879th of 4,224 cities measured42
Housing affordability3,562nd of 4,218 cities measured45
Climate3,281st of 4,225 cities measured62
Physical resilienceTop 4% of 4,226 cities measured95
AccessTop 36% of 4,226 cities measured95
Economic stabilityTop 12% of 4,226 cities measured75
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 4.1% and the Opportunity signal places Jenison in the bottom 24%. The unemployment rate is published for Ottawa County, MI, which contains Jenison, rather than for Jenison alone.

Public schools test above most of the state: 60% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 9% of published profiles for schools.

1,244 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 9% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Ottawa County, MI, which contains Jenison, rather than for Jenison alone.

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

Population
17,582
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$89,593
Top 25% nationally
Density
3,003/sq mi
5.9 sq mi of land
Median age
37.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Michigan
Nearest major airport
GRR
15 mi · Gerald R Ford Intl
Median home value
$281,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Ottawa County, MI, which contains Jenison, is 4.1%, lower than in 58% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Ottawa County, MI, which contains Jenison, fell 6.2% over the past year, to 147,681 employed residents.

35% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 76% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsOttawa County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$71,02247th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftOttawa County, MI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$64,77134th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$4,8652024 ACS 5-Year$89,593Top 25%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,9222024 ACS 5-Year$36,822Top 41%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year3.9%Top 19%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year21.8 minTop 25%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year35.1%Top 24%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year79.1%57th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentOttawa County, MI’s figureJuly 2026147,681Top 38%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Ottawa County, MI’s figureJuly 2026−7.5%Bottom 1%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Ottawa County, MI’s figureJuly 2026−6.2%Bottom 1%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceOttawa County, MI’s figureJuly 2026154,00663rd percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year82.5%Top 34%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$60,660Bottom 17%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageGrand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$47,570Bottom 21%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Ottawa County, MI’s figureJuly 2026−0.7%Top 19%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateOttawa County, MI’s figureJuly 20264.1%Top 42%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year11.4%66th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202490k75k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $89,593 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators19,540$39,120
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand18,840$36,130
Registered Nurses13,740$83,920
Fast Food and Counter Workers13,190$28,240
Retail Salespersons12,600$34,800
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners11,490$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 Ottawa County, MI, which contains this city.

60% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 69% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.4 students for every full-time teacher across 7 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.4
across all schools here
Math proficiency
60.0%
Top 10% in Michigan
Reading proficiency
69.2%
Top 11% in Michigan
All 7 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Jenison High SchoolJenison Public Schools1,50617.562%73%
Jenison Junior High SchoolJenison Public Schools75416.459%71%
Rosewood SchoolJenison Public Schools48116.659%66%
Bauerwood SchoolJenison Public Schools48016.073%76%
Bursley SchoolJenison Public Schools40411.947%57%
Sandy Hill SchoolJenison Public Schools40212.256%66%
Pinewood SchoolJenison Public Schools32013.356%61%

24.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

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.

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 $2,509 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.89% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,519, below the $2,306 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,519 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $60,800 a year, about 68% of the median household income here of $89,593.

The typical renter household here spends 46% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,306 a month.

A median home at $281,600 costs 3.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $94,156, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
95.0

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.

Rent as a share of income
45.7%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,519
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$2,306
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$281,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Jenison’s median household income of $89,593, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure202395.0Top 28%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+4.5%74th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+49.8%77th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+125.7%93rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year3.0Bottom 35%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year87.9%75th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3962024 ACS 5-Year6,73491st percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,333Top 46%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,930Top 39%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,519Top 41%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$5962024 ACS 5-Year$2,306Bottom 4%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$9,7972024 ACS 5-Year$281,60070th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$732024 ACS 5-Year$2,50966th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$9,2912024 ACS 5-Year$94,156Top 32%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year0.89%45th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±9%2024 ACS 5-Year45.7%Bottom 7%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±422024 ACS 5-Year3578th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%57th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year2.3%22nd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1232024 ACS 5-Year18777th percentileof 32,3302024 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.

Development Momentum

42/ 100
Ranks 2,879 of 4,224 published city profiles

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.

Federal tax returns show Ottawa County, which contains Jenison, gained about 0.4% 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 $71,022, above the $64,771 of households that moved out.

At 4.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Ottawa County, MI, which contains Jenison, rather than for Jenison alone.

Units permitted
1,244
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.1
Top 35% nationally
Year over year
−9%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
25.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.4%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
27%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$71,022
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$64,771
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Kent County, MI 4,720 people · 35% of arrivals
  2. Allegan County, MI 1,244 people · 9.2% of arrivals
  3. Muskegon County, MI 1,227 people · 9.1% of arrivals
  4. Oakland County, MI 222 people · 1.6% of arrivals
  5. Cook County, IL 198 people · 1.5% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Kent County, MI 3,694 people · 30% of departures
  2. Allegan County, MI 1,618 people · 13% of departures
  3. Muskegon County, MI 1,568 people · 13% of departures
  4. Newaygo County, MI 182 people · 1.5% of departures
  5. Kalamazoo County, MI 162 people · 1.3% 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 Ottawa 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 Jenison, MI is not one. This is the figure for Ottawa 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 41, in the Good band, and one day a year passes 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GRAND RAPIDS, 14.3 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.0"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year632024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals39.4"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals77.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals19°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year12024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year412024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
41
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
63
90th percentile index
Days above 100
1
unhealthy for sensitive groups

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

95 / 100
Physical resilience

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 65% of it. Inland flooding and tornado are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 96% of measured US cities.

Strong windModerate
LightningModerate
Cold waveModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, tornado, hail, winter weather, ice storm, earthquake, landslide, coastal flooding, wildfire, hurricane, drought, avalanche, tsunami, 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.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Ottawa County has a modeled homicide rate of about 2.1 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 7.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 4.9 per 100,000 residents in Ottawa County.

Homicide
2.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
7.3
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
4.9
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
10.5
per 100,000 residents

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.

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 Jenison (Ottawa County) rather than Jenison itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read 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.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
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 15 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year90.6%Top 46%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle15 miTop 44%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year5.6%Top 40%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Gerald R Ford IntlGRR15 mi10,001 ft
Battle Creek Exec At Kellogg FldBTL51 mi10,004 ft
Capital Region IntlLAN63 mi8,506 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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Area Score
64
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Other cities in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
Grand RapidsKent County198,53559Grand Rapids vs Jenison
WyomingKent County77,35358Wyoming vs Jenison
KentwoodKent County54,29661Kentwood vs Jenison
Forest HillsKent County28,69572
AllendaleOttawa County26,67963
WalkerKent County25,38666
CutlervilleKent County18,78063
GrandvilleKent County16,35662
NorthviewKent County15,26867
IoniaIonia County12,75350
East Grand RapidsKent County11,44569
Grand HavenOttawa County10,99664

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.

Compare

Put Jenison side by side with a similar place.

Jenison vs McLeanJenison vs Shorewood

Moving to Jenison from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
SafetyU.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
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA 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.

ZIP codes in Jenison

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Jenison with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
4942828,209$100,225$307,50065