Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spring Lake is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 2nd among Michigan's 697 graded towns. Its public schools beat 98% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation, the median household earns $88K, and residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. On walkability, just 81 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Spring Lake’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both Michigan’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 90 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score lower on hazard risk.
Where Spring Lake beats most towns.
3.4% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Spring Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 179 in 1860, a low of 179 in 1860, 2,497 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 2 maps from 1930 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spring Lake, 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 Spring Lake.
Spring Lake gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Michigan, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Michigan (mostly inland flooding).
2.2 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Owashtanong Islands Sanctuary, at 21 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
| 2. Owashtanong Islands Sanctuary | — | 21 |
| 3. Mill Point Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 8.6% of its 2,032 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
27% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Spring Lake, below both the Michigan town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 11% of adults smoke cigarettes in Spring Lake. Spring Lake beats the Michigan average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Spring Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Spring Lake | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.2% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Muskegon Co Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Spring Lake has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Spring Lake’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Spring Lake for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Grand Haven (12%), Spring Lake Township (10%) and Muskegon (8%). Half commute less than 18 miles.
| Spring Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of Michigan towns, with expected losses of about $710 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Spring Lake is 57 of 100. Since 1986, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spring Lake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
90% of Spring Lake households own their home.
| Spring Lake | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,079 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spring Lake. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
31 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
12 mi MuseumUSS LST-39327 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater12 mi Stadium & arenaMercy Health ArenaGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · USS LST-393: USN, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Spring Lake
About 5 of every 100 Spring Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
5 notable people were born in Spring Lake.
Village in Michigan, United States
Spring Lake is a village in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,497 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Spring Lake Township. The two share a ZIP code, which also serves most of the neighboring city of Ferrysburg and slivers of Crockery Township in Ottawa County and Fruitport Township and the city of Norton Shores in Muskegon County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Spring Lake.
At #2 in MI, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Grand Haven (A) comes closest.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake | #2 | A+ | B | — | A+ | A− |
| Spring Lake Township | #107 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Ferrysburg | #124 | A− | B− | — | A | A |
| Grand Haven | #117 | A | B− | B− | A | B+ |
| Grand Haven Township | #133 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
Spring Lake, Spring Lake Township, Ferrysburg and Grand Haven Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Spring Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Spring Lake grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #2 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $320,000, 21% above the Michigan typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
5 notable people were born here, including Winsor McCay and Jack Sprague.
