Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 201,183, Grand Rapids does unevenly: it grades C−, 583rd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. The trade-off: its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 1,792 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 47 places on the National Register. 34% of working residents work locally in Grand Rapids, where Michigan’s towns sit at 5.9% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Ladies' Literary Club and Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant.
Where Grand Rapids beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Abram W. Pike House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Community College | 7,986 |
| Calvin University | 3,060 |
| Cornerstone University | 1,315 |
Its 47 National Register listings are more than in any other Michigan town with a listing.
Census counts: 2,686 in 1850, 198,917 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1831 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Grand Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Rapids, 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 Rapids.
Grand Rapids draws workers from Wyoming and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Michigan rate.
43 miles of trail in 76 parks and preserves. Grand Rapids’ trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Millennium Park, 218 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Richmond Park | 3.8 mi | 57 |
| 2. Ken-O-Sha Park | 3.7 mi | 96 |
| 3. The Highlands | 2.5 mi | 125 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, East Grand Rapids highest at A+.
Its public schools are run by the Grand Rapids Public Schools. Three of its 86 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Park AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 708 | D |
| City High Middle SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 955 | A+ |
| Excel Charter AcademyTop results in townGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 791 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 8.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Michigan rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Kentwood (D) to East Grand Rapids (B+).
The violent crime rate in Grand Rapids is 8.9 per 1,000 residents. Grand Rapids reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. The property crime rate in Grand Rapids is 23.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
127,078 jobs are based in Grand Rapids, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Grand Rapids’s working residents works in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Grand Rapids. Jobs based in Grand Rapids grew to 127,078 in 2021, 9,086 more than in 2011.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (19% statewide). 42% of Grand Rapids adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 19% | 18% |
51.0% women, 49.0% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 32.5, men 32.2.
| Grand Rapids | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Grand Rapids has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Grand Rapids home is worth about $304,000, up 3.3% in a year, 15% above the Michigan typical home.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,266 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 49% | 45% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
98 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 98 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grand Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,461 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grand Rapids’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Grand Rapids beats the Michigan average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Grand Rapids | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Grand Rapids | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 7% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.9% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Rapids. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
4 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
16 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trailin town TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
in town Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball Zoo
2 mi Theme parkRamona ParkGerald 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 · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
9 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Rapids
About 8 of every 100 Grand Rapids residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
5 colleges in town.
47 places in Grand Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
48 notable people were born in Grand Rapids.
City in Michigan, United States
Grand Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Kent County, Michigan. The city had a population of 198,917 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 201,183 in 2025. Grand Rapids is the second-most populated municipality in the state after Detroit. It is the central city of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, which has a population of around 1.2 million and is the 49th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Grand Rapids is situated along the Grand River approximately 25 miles (40 km) east of Lake Michigan, and is considered the economic and cultural hub of West Michigan. Originally inhabited by the Hopewell and later Odawa people, the area was settled by European American…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Grand Rapids.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Kentwood (C+) is closest. East Grand Rapids next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Grand Rapids’s C) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | #583 | C− | C+ | D | C | B |
| Walker | #177 | A− | B− | C− | A− | A− |
| Grand Rapids Township | #43 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Wyoming | #386 | B− | B− | C− | B+ | B− |
| East Grand Rapids | #18 | A+ | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Kentwood | #453 | C+ | C+ | D | B | B |
Grand Rapids Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Grand Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grand Rapids grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #583 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.7 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+.
48 notable people were born here, including Taylor Lautner and Anthony Kiedis.
