Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Greenville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $276K, 3.3 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. It grades B− overall, 413th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 35 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, its schools outperform 78% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. On history, just 60 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. 18% of working residents work locally in Greenville, above both the Michigan town median (5.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Alan G. Davis Park, at 82 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Greenville beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Greenville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 398 in 1860, 8,816 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Greenville, 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 Greenville.
Greenville pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work.
5.3 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The trail density in Greenville is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Greenville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alan G. Davis Park | 1.2 mi | 82 |
| 2. Shearer Road Mountain Bike Area | — | 51 |
| 3. Wah Wah Tay See Park | 0.2 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $276K.
Its public schools are run by the Greenville Public Schools. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Greenville Senior High School, with 1,044 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 797 | B− |
| Greenville Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,044 | B+ |
| Baldwin Heights SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 449 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Greenville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Greenville’s violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Greenville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. Greenville’s property crime rate is 17.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Greenville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Greenville beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Greenville.
| Greenville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Greenville | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.6% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 84.8% | 87.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Greenville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 15° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based in Greenville fell to 4,845 in 2021, 848 fewer than in 2011. The top destinations are Grand Rapids (13%), Cascade Township (3%) and Eureka Township (3%). 12% of Greenville residents live below the poverty line.
| Greenville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $276K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Greenville | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $894 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Greenville
About 3 of every 100 Greenville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Greenville on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Greenville.
City in Michigan, United States
Greenville is a city in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 8,816 at the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in Montcalm County. The city was the birthplace of the Meijer superstore chain.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Greenville.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | #413 | B− | A− | C− | A− | C |
| Eureka Township | #110 | A | A | — | A− | C |
| Montcalm Township | #339 | B | A | — | A− | C |
Eureka Township and Montcalm Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Greenville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Greenville grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #413 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
8 notable people were born here, including Frederick C. Bock and Ivy Winters.
