Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grand Haven's standout: it has 16 miles of trail. Overall it grades A, 117th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Its schools outperform 89% of the state's and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Grand Haven’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). On history, just 44 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve, 126 acres with 2.6 miles of trail.
Where Grand Haven beats most towns.
10.4% of the town is conserved land, across 21 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Grand Haven is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,147 in 1870, 11,011 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 2 maps from 1930 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Haven, 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 Grand Haven.
Grand Haven draws workers from Grand Haven Township and beyond, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #19 of 701 in Michigan.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kitchel Lindquist Dunes Preserve | 2.6 mi | 126 |
| 2. Rix Robinson Park | 1 mi | 60 |
| 3. Duncan Park | 0.8 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Grand Haven Area Public Schools. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Pines Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 740 | A |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 89 | C− |
| Lakeshore Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 733 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
8,730 jobs are based in Grand Haven, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.9 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
About one in 5 of Grand Haven’s working residents works in town. Grand Haven’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, below both the Michigan town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Grand Haven.
| Grand Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The typical Grand Haven home is worth about $399,000, up 4.4% in a year, 51% above the Michigan typical home. 68% of Grand Haven households own their home.
| Grand Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $939 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grand Haven.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,106 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grand Haven’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Grand Haven beats the Michigan average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Grand Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Grand Haven | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.2% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median age in Grand Haven is 46.8 years. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Grand Haven | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 15% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 46.8 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 26% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 76 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.8 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Grand Haven | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.4% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.4% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Muskegon Co Ap weather station, 8 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Grand Haven has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Grand Haven’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Haven. Close and well known come first.
28 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
32 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
13 mi MuseumUSS LST-39328 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater13 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health ArenaGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Haven
About 7 of every 100 Grand Haven residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
Where Grand Haven’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
6 places in Grand Haven on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Grand Haven.
City in Michigan, United States
Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2020 census, Grand Haven had a population of 11,011. It is located in the northern portion of Grand Haven Charter Township, but is administratively autonomous. The city is home to the Grand Haven Memorial Airpark (3GM). Grand Haven's ZIP code also serves most of Grand Haven and Robinson townships.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Grand Haven.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Haven | #117 | A | B− | B− | A | B+ |
| Grand Haven Township | #133 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Spring Lake | #2 | A+ | B | — | A+ | A− |
| Spring Lake Township | #107 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Ferrysburg | #124 | A− | B− | — | A | A |
Grand Haven Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township and Ferrysburg report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grand Haven with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Grand Haven grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #117 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and A for schools.
That is 4.8 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 B−.
14 notable people were born here, including Dan Bylsma and Melissa Stockwell.
