Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Allegan gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $280K, 3.4 years of the Holland area’s $83K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 409th of 697 in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 81% of the country. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register. 26% of working residents work locally in Allegan, where Michigan’s towns sit at 5.9% and U.S. towns at 8%. On history, just 8 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve, at 62 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Allegan beats most towns.
Second Street Bridge
Census counts: 2,374 in 1870, 5,222 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Allegan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Allegan, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Allegan.
Allegan trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Allegan Township and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
5,693 jobs are based in Allegan, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Allegan’s working residents works in town. Allegan’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Holland (6%), Allegan Township (5%) and Holland Township (4%).
| Allegan | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Allegan Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 278 | B |
| Allegan Alternative High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 112 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
1.9 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
| Allegan | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve | 1.6 mi | 62 |
| 2. Allegan State Game Area | — | 43 |
| 3. Jaycee Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,761 U.S. towns with household incomes like Allegan’s, it is less healthy than 61%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults report frequent mental distress in Allegan. Allegan beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Allegan.
| Allegan | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Allegan | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.5% | 14.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Allegan is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Allegan | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bloomingdale weather station, 12 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Allegan has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Allegan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $280K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. 69.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 50.4% across Michigan.
The typical Allegan home is worth about $280,000, up 3.5% in a year, 6% above the Michigan typical home. 69% of Allegan households own their home.
| Allegan | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,115 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Allegan; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Allegan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Allegan’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
13 places in Allegan on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Allegan.
City in Michigan, United States
Allegan ( AL-ə-gən) is a city in and the county seat of Allegan County, Michigan. Its population was 5,222 at the 2020 census. It is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Grand Rapids and 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Kalamazoo, both via US 131. It lies within Allegan Township but is administratively autonomous.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Allegan grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #409 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health, A− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
11 notable people were born here, including William Franklin Wight and Clara Elsene Peck.
