Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Median home value$281,600
Grand Rapids $285,300
Median rent$2,306/mo
Grand Rapids $1,202/mo
Cost-burdened households20%
Grand Rapids 24%
Jenison
Ottawa County17,582 residentsJenison Public Schools
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. Strong on schools and housing & affordability, held back by amenities.
72
Grand Rapids median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Jenison yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 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 Jenison is like to live in, by category
Bars show Jenison against Grand Rapids. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 86/100
A−
Within-state proficiency95th pct
Grand Rapids median 74th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.4
Grand Rapids median 16.7
Graduation rate95%
Grand Rapids median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index103
Grand Rapids 100
Eff. tax rate0.96%
Grand Rapids 1.03%
Local sales tax6.00%
Grand Rapids median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Mean commute20.1 min
Grand Rapids 22.0 min
Under 30 minutes82%
Grand Rapids 74%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Grand Rapids median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 55/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés14
Grand Rapids median 38 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Grand Rapids median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks34
Grand Rapids median 31 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median household income$89,593
Grand Rapids $82,874
Unemployment1.9%
Grand Rapids 4.0%
Professional occupations39%
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 Jenison 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 Jenison on amenities
Jenison's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Grand Rapids10 mi from JenisonA− 59 C Grandville4 mi from JenisonB 71 B− Holland17 mi from JenisonB− 66 C+ Grand Haven22 mi from JenisonC+ 64 C+ East Grand Rapids12 mi from JenisonC+ 76 B Kentwood12 mi from JenisonC+ 61 C Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Jenison
Is Jenison, MI a good place to live?
Jenison scores 72 out of 100, 3rd of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Jenison expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $281,600, 1% below the Grand Rapids median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.96%. $2,306/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Jenison?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Jenison sit at the 95th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 15.4 student–teacher ratio. Jenison is served by Jenison Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Jenison?
The mean commute is 20.1 min, with 82% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Jenison?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 14 restaurants and cafés and 34 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Jenison old or new?
The median home in Jenison was built in 1973 — 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. 89% 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.