Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Zeeland's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A−, 166th of 697 graded towns in Michigan. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of Michigan towns. Zeeland’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, below both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Zeeland has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Max and Esther De Pree House and Zeeland Record Company Building.
Where Zeeland beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elementary School | K–5 | 361 |
| Cityside Middle School | 6–8 | 771 |
Where Zeeland’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 Zeeland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 484 in 1880, 5,719 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1929 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Zeeland, 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 Zeeland.
Zeeland draws workers from Holland Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
15,752 jobs are based in Zeeland, 5.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.7 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
About one in 5 of Zeeland’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Zeeland is $53,000. Jobs based in Zeeland grew to 15,752 in 2021, 5,891 more than in 2011.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Zeeland Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cityside Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 771 | A− |
| Lincoln Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 361 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Zeeland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 50.4% across Michigan.
The typical Zeeland home is worth about $389,000, up 4.3% in a year, 48% above the Michigan typical home. 64% of Zeeland households own their home.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $951 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Zeeland’s property crime rate is 4.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Zeeland has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 78 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (21% statewide). 22% of residents are 65 or older in Zeeland. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 26% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Zeeland | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.5% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 6,675 U.S. towns with household incomes like Zeeland’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Zeeland beats the Michigan average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Zeeland | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 29.4% | 34.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Huizenga Park, at 24 acres.
| Zeeland | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 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. Huizenga Park | 0.4 mi | 24 |
| 2. Lawrence Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Vande Luyster Square Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Zeeland. Close and well known come first.
20 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum39 mi Theme parkMichigan's Adventure
35 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
25 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park20 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
22 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 · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Zeeland
About 4 of every 100 Zeeland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
14 notable people were born in Zeeland.
City in Michigan, United States
Zeeland ( ZEE-lənd) is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township. It is about 5 miles (8 km) east of Holland and 24 miles (38 km) southwest of Grand Rapids. Its name is taken from the Dutch province of Zeeland.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Zeeland.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeeland | #166 | A− | C+ | B+ | A | B |
| Holland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Zeeland Township | #7 | A+ | B− | — | A | A− |
Zeeland Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Holland Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Zeeland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Zeeland grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #166 of 697 in Michigan. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($82,874 across the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, 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+.
14 notable people were born here, including Paul de Kruif and Jim Kaat.
