Gaines TownshipMI
A town of 30,659. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Why does Gaines Township grade so well?
Few places in the country grade higher. Gaines Township earns an A, ranked 44th of 697 in Michigan. Its public schools beat 95% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation, the median household earns $83K, and it is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. On history, just 65 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. 26% of residents are under 18 in Gaines Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. On civic life, just 74 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns do worse.
What makes Gaines Township stand out
Where Gaines Township beats most towns.
Gaines Township has grown 22% since 2010
25,146 counted in 2010 and 28,812 in 2020; an estimated 30,659 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.5% since 2020, after 14.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Gaines Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Gaines Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Gaines Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gaines Township, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gaines Township.
Gaines Township has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
For schools, Gaines Township earns an A+
Its A+ ranks #26 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Kentwood Public Schools. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinewood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 842 | B |
| East Kentwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 2,068 | B− |
| Countryside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 426 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
The typical home in Gaines Township is valued at about $415K
The typical Gaines Township home is worth about $415,000, up 4.5% in a year, 57% above the Michigan typical home. The median rent in Gaines Township is $1,314 a month.
| Gaines Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,314 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gaines Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gaines Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For health, Gaines Township earns an A−
12% of Gaines Township adults report frequent physical distress. Gaines Township beats the Michigan average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 32% of Gaines Township adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Gaines Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gaines Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gaines Township has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here grew from 4,076 in 2011 to 8,531.
Most working residents leave Gaines Township for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2011, Gaines Township has added 4,455 jobs, to 8,531 in 2021. Gaines Township’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Gaines Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Conserved land covers 3.1% of Gaines Township
6.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Earle Brewer Park, at 91 acres.
| Gaines Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prairie Wolf Park | 1.6 mi | 85 |
| 2. Earle Brewer Park | 0.7 mi | 91 |
| 3. Creekside Park | 0.7 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Gaines Township
Gaines Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 78 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More children than Michigan overall
14% of residents are 65 or older in Gaines Township. Gaines Township has grown 6.5% since 2020, to 30,659 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Gaines Township.
| Gaines Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 26% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.8, men 36.1.
| Gaines Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.7% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.9% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gaines Township. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
16 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
12 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
40 mi Theme parkAir Zoo11 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
10 mi Theme parkRamona ParkPhoto credits
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Gaines Township
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Gaines Township
About 3 of every 100 Gaines Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
94% of working residents leave Gaines Township for work
Where Gaines Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
About Gaines Township
Charter township in Michigan, United States
Gaines Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,812 at the 2020 census. The township is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is located about 3.0 miles (4.8 km) south of the city of Grand Rapids.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 817 ft
Gaines Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Gaines Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaines Township | #44 | A | C+ | — | A+ | A− |
| Byron Township | #15 | A+ | C+ | — | A+ | A |
| Kentwood | #453 | C+ | C+ | D | B | B |
| Leighton Township | #142 | A− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Caledonia Township | #10 | A+ | B− | — | A+ | A− |
Gaines Township, Byron Township, Leighton Township and Caledonia Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gaines Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Gaines Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gaines Township, MI a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Gaines Township grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #44 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools.
Is Gaines Township, MI expensive?
That is 5 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+.