Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Holland is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, 260th among Michigan's 697 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 71% of the country. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $76K. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 65% of U.S. towns, with 103 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $371K, 4.5 years of the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 27% of working residents work locally in Holland, above both Michigan’s towns (5.9%) and U.S. towns (8%). On walkability, just 26 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Old Wing Mission and Holland Reformed Protestant Dutch Church.
Where Holland beats most towns.
Third Reformed Church of Holland
Census counts: 2,319 in 1870, 34,378 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 3 maps from 1929 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Holland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holland, 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 Holland.
Holland draws workers from Holland Township and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it trails Laketown Township and its other neighbors on schools.
18 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The trail density in Holland is 1.0 miles per square mile. Paw Paw Park, at 164 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van Raalte Farm City Park | 5.2 mi | 154 |
| 2. Paw Paw Park | 3.6 mi | 164 |
| 3. Kollen Park | 1.9 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B, Laketown Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Holland City School District. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holland Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 605 | C+ |
| Holland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 967 | C+ |
| Black River Public School MiddleHighTop results in townGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 569 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
24,951 jobs are based in Holland, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.8 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
About one in 4 of Holland’s working residents works in town. Holland’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. The top destinations are Holland Township (16%), Zeeland (10%) and Grand Rapids (6%).
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 10% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Holland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
68% of households own their home in Holland. Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,193 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Holland has grown 2.9% since 2020, to 35,372 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 36% of Holland adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 29% of residents (38% statewide).
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.7 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 32.5, men 31.4.
| Holland | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.2% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Holland beats the Michigan average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Holland | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 11.6% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 6.6% | 8.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 9% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Holland has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 19°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 604 to 462 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Holland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 65% report less.
| Holland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Holland
About 14 of every 100 Holland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 colleges in town.
12 places in Holland on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Holland.
City in Michigan, United States
Holland is a city in Ottawa and Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the western region of the Lower Peninsula, the city is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,378, with an urbanized area population of 107,034. Holland's ZIP codes extend into parts of surrounding townships in Ottawa and Allegan counties. Holland was founded by Dutch Americans and is in an area that has a large percentage of citizens of Dutch American heritage. It is home to Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, institutions of the Reformed Church in America. Holland's economy include…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Holland.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Park Township (B+) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland · Holland Township | #260 | B+ | C+ | C+ | B | B+ |
| Fillmore Township | #59 | A | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Beechwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Laketown Township | #149 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Park Township | #227 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
Fillmore Township, Laketown Township and Park Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Beechwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Holland Township and Holland are one community, graded once. Compare Holland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Holland grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #260 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and B 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 C+.
41 notable people were born here, including Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince.
