Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grand Ledge is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, 100th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 83% of Michigan towns. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 72% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $299K, 4.1 years of the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income. Grand Ledge’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Grand Ledge has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them River Ledge Historic District and Grand Ledge Chair Company Plant. Grand Ledge is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns.
Where Grand Ledge beats most towns.
River Ledge Historic District| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| TC Holbrook Elementary School | K–4 | 506 |
| St. Michael Catholic School | PK–7 | 107 |
| Kenneth T Beagle Middle School | 7–8 | 835 |
Where Grand Ledge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Grand Ledge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,387 in 1880, 7,784 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Ledge, 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 Ledge.
Grand Ledge is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sees little violent crime.
5.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Fitzergald Park, 71 acres with 2.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fitzergald Park | 2.7 mi | 71 |
| 2. Oak Park | 0.7 mi | 10 |
| 3. Island Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Grand Ledge Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Grand Ledge High School, with 1,704 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth T Beagle Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 835 | A− |
| Grand Ledge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,704 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Grand Ledge for work: only 8% work in town. At 20 minutes, Grand Ledge’s average trip to work is where Michigan’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 17% of workers work from home in Grand Ledge.
| Grand Ledge | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 17% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 10 reported in 2025, 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Grand Ledge is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Grand Ledge | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,444 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grand Ledge’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Grand Ledge beats the Michigan average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of Grand Ledge adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Grand Ledge | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grand Ledge | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Grand Ledge has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Grand Ledge home is worth about $299,000, up 2.5% in a year, 13% above the Michigan typical home.
| Grand Ledge | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $982 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Grand Ledge’s median age is 44.7 years. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Grand Ledge | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Grand Ledge | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.3% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.4% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.2% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.2% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Grand Ledge since 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Ledge. Close and well known come first.
14 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
33 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
11 mi Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
10 mi MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum
35 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of Magic
13 mi GardenW. J. Beal Botanical GardenEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0 · W. J. Beal Botanical Garden: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 2.5
4 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Ledge
About 2 of every 100 Grand Ledge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Grand Ledge on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Grand Ledge.
City in Michigan, United States
Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County to the north (no residents live in that portion). The city sits along the Grand River 12.7 miles (20.4 kilometers) west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,784 at the 2020 census. The city is named for its sandstone rock ledges that are located between island park and Fitzgerald park. They rise 40 feet (12 m) above the Grand River and are used by recreational rock climbers.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Grand Ledge.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Ledge | #100 | A | B− | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Oneida Township | #300 | B | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Eagle Township | #83 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
Oneida Township and Eagle Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grand Ledge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Grand Ledge grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #100 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
8 notable people were born here, including Matt Greene and Reid Boucher.
