Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1891 and has 9,770 residents today.
The best of Muskegon Heights’ subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and a B for walkability; the weakest is a D− for health. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Muskegon Heights, against 8.9% in Michigan’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On health, just 1 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. The median household income is $35K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. On civic life, just 30 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Mona Lake Park, at 40 acres. Muskegon Heights has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Where Muskegon Heights beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Muskegon Heights | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 29.7% | 8.7% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Muskegon Heights is from typical.
Muskegon Heights has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,012 in 1900, a peak of 19,552 in 1960, 9,917 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1936 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Muskegon Heights, 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 Muskegon Heights.
For Muskegon Heights, the midpoint rent is $889 a month. The typical home value in the town is about $87,000, down 2.7% in a year, 67% below the Michigan typical home. Homes sold in Muskegon Heights spent a median 12 days on the market.
| Muskegon Heights | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $889 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood Elementary AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 134 | – |
| Muskegon Heights AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 253 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
The share of adults in Muskegon Heights who feel lonely: 38%. Among 701 Michigan towns, just one has a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Muskegon Heights. The town beats the Michigan average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 25.
| Muskegon Heights | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 59% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Muskegon Heights | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 8.9% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 15.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 29.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Households in Muskegon Heights have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. 60% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 16%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical July afternoon high in Muskegon Heights is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Muskegon (21%), Norton Shores (8%) and Grand Rapids (6%). For most workers, Muskegon Heights is a place to come home to: only 4% work in town. Between 2011 and 2021, jobs locally rose by 270, to 2,307. The average commute for Muskegon Heights comes to 18 minutes.
| Muskegon Heights | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 5.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Only 9 of the 272 Michigan towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Muskegon Heights. Muskegon Heights's reported crime rate is well above Michigan's. In Muskegon Heights, the violent offense rate is 16.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Muskegon Heights | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Muskegon Heights’ trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.4 miles of trail.
| Muskegon Heights | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mona Lake Park | 0.4 mi | 40 |
| 2. Johnny O. Harris Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Muskegon Heights. Close and well known come first.
33 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
2 mi MuseumUSS LST-3932 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health Arena
36 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park33 mi TheatreAcrisure AmphitheaterGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Muskegon Heights
About 2 of every 100 Muskegon Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Muskegon Heights is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,985 at the 2020 census. The city's population has been falling for decades. It is almost 3/4 African American. Incorporated January 2, 1891, the area was part of a lumber producing region and later foundries.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Muskegon Heights.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon Heights | — | — | B+ | — | — | D− |
| Norton Shores | #486 | C+ | C− | C | B+ | B |
| Muskegon | #661 | D | B | — | C− | D− |
Muskegon Heights and Muskegon report no FBI crime data of their own. Muskegon Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Muskegon Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Muskegon Heights has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and schools, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
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 B+.
