Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median home value$268,200
Grand Rapids $285,300
Median rent$1,260/mo
Grand Rapids $1,202/mo
Cost-burdened households29%
Grand Rapids 24%
Kentwood
Kent County54,296 residents3 school districts
61
C
Suburbgrade score
10th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
61
Grand Rapids median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Kentwood yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 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 Kentwood is like to live in, by category
Bars show Kentwood against Grand Rapids. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Within-state proficiency65th pct
Grand Rapids median 74th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.4
Grand Rapids median 16.7
Graduation rate82%
Grand Rapids median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index102
Grand Rapids 100
Eff. tax rate1.23%
Grand Rapids 1.03%
Local sales tax6.00%
Grand Rapids median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Mean commute19.7 min
Grand Rapids 22.0 min
Under 30 minutes84%
Grand Rapids 74%
Transit stops / sq mi2.1
Grand Rapids median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés42
Grand Rapids median 38 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Grand Rapids median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks33
Grand Rapids median 31 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median household income$74,373
Grand Rapids $82,874
Unemployment4.5%
Grand Rapids 4.0%
Professional occupations38%
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 Kentwood 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 Kentwood on housing & affordability
Kentwood's weakest grade is D+. Five suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Forest Hills7 mi from KentwoodA 72 B− East Grand Rapids4 mi from KentwoodA− 76 B Jenison12 mi from KentwoodB 72 B− Northview11 mi from KentwoodC 67 C+ Walker11 mi from KentwoodC− 65 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Kentwood
Is Kentwood, MI a good place to live?
Kentwood scores 61 out of 100, 10th of 15 Grand Rapids suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Kentwood expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $268,200, 6% below the Grand Rapids median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.23%. $1,260/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Kentwood?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Kentwood sit at the 65th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 17.4 student–teacher ratio. Kentwood is served by Kentwood Public Schools, Forest Hills Public Schools and Kelloggsville Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Kentwood?
The mean commute is 19.7 min, with 84% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 12% working from home. Transit density is 2.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Kentwood?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 42 restaurants and cafés and 33 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Kentwood old or new?
The median home in Kentwood was built in 1983 — close to 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. 60% 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.