Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median home value$307,900
Grand Rapids $285,300
Median rent$1,111/mo
Grand Rapids $1,202/mo
Cost-burdened households40%
Grand Rapids 24%
Allendale
Ottawa County26,679 residentsAllendale Public Schools
58
C
Suburbgrade score
13th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by employment & income.
58
Grand Rapids median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Allendale yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 58 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Allendale is like to live in, by category
Bars show Allendale against Grand Rapids. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 80/100
B+
Within-state proficiency86th pct
Grand Rapids median 74th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.0
Grand Rapids median 16.7
Graduation rate98%
Grand Rapids median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index96
Grand Rapids 100
Eff. tax rate1.02%
Grand Rapids 1.03%
Local sales tax6.00%
Grand Rapids median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Mean commute20.6 min
Grand Rapids 22.0 min
Under 30 minutes72%
Grand Rapids 74%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Grand Rapids median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 43/100
D
Restaurants & cafés13
Grand Rapids median 38 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Grand Rapids median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks17
Grand Rapids median 31 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 41/100
D−
Median household income$70,150
Grand Rapids $82,874
Unemployment7.6%
Grand Rapids 4.0%
Professional occupations36%
Grand Rapids 41%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Allendale yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Allendale on employment & income
Allendale's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
East Grand Rapids17 mi from AllendaleA− 76 B Forest Hills23 mi from AllendaleA− 72 B− Grandville11 mi from AllendaleB− 71 B− Jenison8 mi from AllendaleC+ 72 B− Walker10 mi from AllendaleC+ 65 C+ Holland17 mi from AllendaleC 66 C+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Allendale
Is Allendale, MI a good place to live?
Allendale scores 58 out of 100, 13th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Allendale expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $307,900, 8% above the Grand Rapids median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.02%. $1,111/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Allendale?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Allendale sit at the 86th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 98% graduation rate and a 16.0 student–teacher ratio. Allendale is served by Allendale Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Allendale?
The mean commute is 20.6 min, with 72% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 8.6% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Allendale?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 13 restaurants and cafés and 17 parks, which grades D on amenities.
Are the homes in Allendale old or new?
The median home in Allendale was built in 2003 — newer than the Grand Rapids median of 1979. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 56% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.