Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 45/100
D
Median home value$244,500
Grand Rapids $285,300
Median rent$1,266/mo
Grand Rapids $1,202/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Grand Rapids 24%
Grand Rapids
Kent County198,535 residentsGrand Rapids Public Schools
59
C
Suburbgrade score
12th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. Strong on commute & transport and amenities, held back by schools.
59
Grand Rapids median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Grand Rapids yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 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 Grand Rapids is like to live in, by category
Bars show Grand Rapids against Grand Rapids. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 35/100
F
Within-state proficiency24th pct
Grand Rapids median 74th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.7
Grand Rapids median 16.7
Graduation rate76%
Grand Rapids median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index96
Grand Rapids 100
Eff. tax rate0.99%
Grand Rapids 1.03%
Local sales tax6.00%
Grand Rapids median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 84/100
A−
Mean commute19.0 min
Grand Rapids 22.0 min
Under 30 minutes84%
Grand Rapids 74%
Transit stops / sq mi10
Grand Rapids median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 83/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés190
Grand Rapids median 38 · within 2 miles
Groceries8
Grand Rapids median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks108
Grand Rapids median 31 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median household income$69,108
Grand Rapids $82,874
Unemployment5.2%
Grand Rapids 4.0%
Professional occupations43%
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 Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids on schools
Grand Rapids's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Jenison10 mi from Grand RapidsA− 72 B− East Grand Rapids3 mi from Grand RapidsA− 76 B Forest Hills8 mi from Grand RapidsA− 72 B− Grandville6 mi from Grand RapidsB+ 71 B− Allendale15 mi from Grand RapidsB+ 58 C Cutlerville9 mi from Grand RapidsB− 62 C Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Grand Rapids
Is Grand Rapids, MI a good place to live?
Grand Rapids scores 59 out of 100, 12th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Grand Rapids expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $244,500, 14% below the Grand Rapids median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.99%. $1,266/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Grand Rapids?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Grand Rapids sit at the 24th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 76% graduation rate and a 16.7 student–teacher ratio. Grand Rapids is served by Grand Rapids Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Grand Rapids?
The mean commute is 19.0 min, with 84% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 10 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Grand Rapids?
Within two miles there are 8 groceries, 190 restaurants and cafés and 108 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Grand Rapids old or new?
The median home in Grand Rapids was built in 1953 — older 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. 62% 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.