Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wayland gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $344K for a typical one, or 4.1 years of the Holland area’s $83K median household income. It grades A overall, ranked 82nd of 697 in Michigan. On the plus side, its public schools beat 83% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. On walkability, just 99 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Wayland has 1 place on the National Register. The biggest park or preserve is Rabbit River Nature Trail, at 24 acres.
Where Wayland beats most towns.
Wayland Downtown Historic District| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Street Elementary | 4–5 | 413 |
| Bessie B Baker School | PK–1 | 280 |
| RJ Steeby School | 2–3 | 256 |
Where Wayland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Wayland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 585 in 1870, 4,435 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wayland, 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 Wayland.
Its A− for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $344K.
Its public schools are run by the Wayland Union Schools. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wayland High School, with 800 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland Union Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 611 | B+ |
| Wayland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 800 | B+ |
| Pine Street ElementaryTop results in townGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 413 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Wayland since 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Wayland for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Wayland grew to 1,450 in 2021, 215 more than in 2011. At 22 minutes, Wayland’s average trip to work is against 25 minutes in Michigan’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The typical Wayland home is worth about $344,000, up 4.4% in a year, 30% above the Michigan typical home. 71% of Wayland households own their home, where Michigan’s towns sit at 84% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 71% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,160 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Wayland has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 78 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). Wayland’s median age is 34.3 years. Wayland has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 4,531 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 19% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Wayland | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.6% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Wayland's reported crime rate is below Michigan's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 11 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 12.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.5 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
19% of adults binge drink in Wayland. Wayland beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Wayland.
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wayland | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 32% | 36.7% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 62.4% | 68% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Wayland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rabbit River Nature Trail | 0.7 mi | 24 |
| 2. Wayland City Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Wayland North Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wayland. Close and well known come first.
21 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
24 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
31 mi Theme parkAir Zoo
22 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park20 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
19 mi Theme parkRamona ParkGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Air Zoo: User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wayland
About 2 of every 100 Wayland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
City in Michigan, United States
Wayland is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,435 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the northwest corner of Wayland Township, but is politically independent. The city has also incorporated a portion of land in the south of adjacent Leighton Township. U.S. Route 131 forms the western boundary of the city. The city is home to OpenRoad Brewery, as well as several local restaurants and businesses.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Wayland.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland | #82 | A | B | — | A− | C+ |
| Leighton Township | #142 | A− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Wayland Township | #155 | A− | B | — | A− | B− |
Wayland, Leighton Township and Wayland Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wayland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wayland grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #82 of 697 in Michigan. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools.
