Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cedar Springs's standout: 29% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades C, ranked 543rd of 697 in Michigan. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 29% of the land in Cedar Springs is conserved, above both the Michigan town median (4.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%).
Where Cedar Springs beats most towns.
28.8% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Cedar Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,141 in 1880, 3,627 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cedar Springs, 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 Cedar Springs.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #8 of 701 in Michigan.
2.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Cedar Springs’ trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Morley Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Cedar Springs Veterans Memorial Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Riggle Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cedar Springs Public Schools. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cedar Springs High School, with 952 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Springs Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 657 | B |
| Cedar Springs High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 952 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
33% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cedar Springs. Cedar Springs beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 40% of adults have obesity in Cedar Springs.
| Cedar Springs | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Cedar Springs | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 30.8% | 35.4% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.6% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Cedar Springs home is worth about $345,000, up 5.5% in a year, 31% above the Michigan typical home. 58% of Cedar Springs households own their home.
| Cedar Springs | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,086 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Cedar Springs has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Cedar Springs for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2011, Cedar Springs has added 307 jobs, to 2,062 in 2021. Cedar Springs’ average trip to work is 29 minutes.
| Cedar Springs | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cedar Springs. Close and well known come first.
19 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
23 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail38 mi Theme parkMichigan's Adventure
33 mi MuseumJim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
17 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park19 mi TheatreAcrisure AmphitheaterGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia: Jim Crow Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cedar Springs
About 3 of every 100 Cedar Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,627 at the 2020 census. Cedar Springs is a northern city of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Grand Rapids.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Cedar Springs.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Springs | #543 | C | C+ | — | B+ | C− |
| Solon Township | #242 | B+ | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Nelson Township | #238 | B+ | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
Cedar Springs, Solon Township and Nelson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cedar Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cedar Springs grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #543 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($82,874 across the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
