Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lansing earns a D, 673rd among Michigan's 697 graded towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 1,116 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its schools rank behind 80% of the state's. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 35 places on the National Register. Lansing’s violent crime rate is 9.7 per 1,000 residents, where Michigan’s towns sit at 1.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Its National Register listings include Michigan State Capitol and State Office Building. Lansing's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Lansing beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Michigan State Capitol
Michigan State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 35 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Michigan towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,229 in 1850, 112,644 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Lansing is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 94% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lansing, 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 Lansing.
Lansing draws workers from Delta Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Michigan rate.
Violent crime runs at 9.7 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−. Reported crimes fell from 4,743 to 3,084 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Lansing is 17.1 per 1,000 residents. Lansing reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, East Lansing highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Lansing Public School District. Two of its 36 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner International SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 874 | – |
| Everett High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,017 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
38 miles of trail in 106 parks and preserves. Lansing’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Crego Park, at 199 acres.
| Lansing | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fenner Nature Center | 3.7 mi | 132 |
| 2. Fine Park | 3.2 mi | 40 |
| 3. Hawk Island County Park | 1.9 mi | 122 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
85,586 jobs are based in Lansing, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Lansing’s working residents works in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Lansing. Jobs based in Lansing fell to 85,586 in 2021, 10,376 fewer than in 2011.
| Lansing | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
At 2.3 years of the Lansing metro’s $73K median household income, the typical home (about $166K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Holt is next at $265K.
The typical Lansing home is worth about $166,000, up 2.1% in a year, 37% below the Michigan typical home. 54% of Lansing households own their home.
| Lansing | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $993 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 45% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,230 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lansing’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Delhi Township (B) to DeWitt Township (B+).
Lansing beats the Michigan average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Lansing | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 36% |
| What stands out | Lansing | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.1% | 7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.5% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 14% of residents (19% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Lansing | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 26% | 29% |
50.7% women, 49.3% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.8 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.0, men 33.5.
| Lansing | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.2% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Lansing has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 103 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lansing.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lansing. Close and well known come first.
5 mi MuseumEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum150K visitors a year
in town Zoo & aquariumPotter Park Zoo
in town MuseumR. E. Olds Transportation Museum
4 mi GardenW. J. Beal Botanical Garden
in town MuseumImpression 5 Science Center
37 mi MuseumAmerican Museum of MagicEli and Edythe Broad Art Museum: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Potter Park Zoo: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · R. E. Olds Transportation Museum: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0 · W. J. Beal Botanical Garden: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Impression 5 Science Center: Dj1997, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Museum of Magic: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lansing
About 8 of every 100 Lansing residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 colleges in town.
35 places in Lansing on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Lansing.
Capital city of Michigan, United States
Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a population of 112,644 as of the 2020 census, and is the most populous city in Ingham County, though parts of the city extend into Eaton and Clinton counties. The Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area has an estimated 473,000 residents and is the third largest in the state after metropolitan Detroit and Grand Rapids. Lansing benefits from its central location within Mid-Michigan and serves as a regional hub for government, education, insurance and commerce. Founded in 1835 and designated as Michigan's state capital in 1847, Lansing was selected for its more central location af…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Lansing.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; DeWitt Township (B−) is closest. East Lansing next door grades higher for schools (A− to Lansing’s C−) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing | #673 | D | B− | D− | C− | C |
| Lansing Township | #609 | C− | B | D− | C− | B |
| East Lansing | – | B+ | C− | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Delta Township | #250 | B+ | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| DeWitt Township | #380 | B− | C | B | C+ | B+ |
| Delhi Township | #364 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Okemos | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Edgemont Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Delta Township and Delhi Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Okemos and Edgemont Park aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lansing with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lansing grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #673 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 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($72,550 across the Lansing-East Lansing, 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 B−.
37 notable people were born here, including Steven Seagal and Magic Johnson.
