Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Kalamazoo earns a D, 675th of 697 graded towns in Michigan, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 789 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it has 22 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 42 places on the National Register. 33% of working residents work locally in Kalamazoo, where Michigan’s towns sit at 5.9% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Ladies Library Association Building and Kalamazoo State Hospital Water Tower. On walkability, just 71 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better.
Where Kalamazoo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 42 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Michigan towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,290 in 1840, 73,598 in 2020. The archive holds 27 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 5 maps from 1916 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Kalamazoo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kalamazoo, 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 Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Portage and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Michigan rate.
Violent crime runs at 10.8 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−. Property crime runs at 29 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Michigan rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Kalamazoo is 10.8 per 1,000 residents. Kalamazoo reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. The property crime rate in Kalamazoo is 29 per 1,000 residents.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Kalamazoo Public Schools. Three of its 41 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Street Magnet School for the ArtsLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 889 | A+ |
| Loy Norrix High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,785 | A |
| Milwood Magnet SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 731 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Kalamazoo’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Asylum Lake Preserve, 297 acres with 6.9 miles of trail.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Asylum Lake Preserve | 6.9 mi | 297 |
| 2. Kleinstuck Preserve | 1.5 mi | 49 |
| 3. Bow in the Clouds Preserve | 1.3 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
43,823 jobs are based in Kalamazoo, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Kalamazoo’s working residents works in town. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Kalamazoo. Jobs based in Kalamazoo fell to 43,823 in 2021, 4,547 fewer than in 2011.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
22.1% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 42.3% of households own their home, against 73.2% across Michigan.
11% of Kalamazoo residents are 65 or older. Only 9 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a lower median age than Kalamazoo. 19% of Kalamazoo residents are under 18.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 26.9 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 27.2, men 26.4.
| Kalamazoo | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 27.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.6% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.6% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
114 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 114 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kalamazoo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,553 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kalamazoo’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Comstock Township (C+) to Portage (A−).
Kalamazoo beats the Michigan average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Kalamazoo.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Kalamazoo | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.8% | 29.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.6% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Kalamazoo has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Kalamazoo home is worth about $238,000, up 4.2% in a year, 10% below the Michigan typical home. Only 8 of the 701 Michigan towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Kalamazoo.
| Kalamazoo | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 84% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 45% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kalamazoo. Close and well known come first.
in town Theme parkAir Zoo
in town MuseumKalamazoo Institute of Arts
14 mi MuseumGilmore Car Museum87K visitors a year22 mi Zoo & aquariumBinder Park Zoo
in town MuseumKalamazoo Valley Museum
32 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of MagicAir Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Institute of Arts: 72elyod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gilmore Car Museum: Kevin S. Forsyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kalamazoo Valley Museum: Cody Hough, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Kalamazoo
College town 22 of every 100 Kalamazoo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
3 colleges in town.
42 places in Kalamazoo on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in Kalamazoo.
City in the United States
Kalamazoo ( KAL-ə-mə-ZOO) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area in southwestern Michigan, which had a population of 261,670 in 2020. One of Kalamazoo's most notable features is the Kalamazoo Mall, an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall. The city created the mall in 1959 by closing part of Burdick Street to automobile traffic, although two of the mall's four blocks have been reopened to auto traffic since 1999. Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, a large public university, Kalamazoo College, a private liberal arts coll…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Kalamazoo.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Oshtemo Township (C) is closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo | #675 | D | C+ | D− | C | C |
| Kalamazoo Township | #667 | D | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Portage | #361 | B− | C | C− | A− | A− |
| Eastwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oshtemo Township | #567 | C | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Westwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Comstock Township | #493 | C+ | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Parchment | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
Parchment has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Oshtemo Township, Comstock Township and Parchment report no FBI crime data of their own. Eastwood and Westwood aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kalamazoo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kalamazoo grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #675 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($72,532 across the Kalamazoo-Portage, 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+.
49 notable people were born here, including Edna Ferber and Huma Abedin.
