Should I Move To
Grand Rapids, Michigan is home to about 198,096 people. On cost of living, it lands in the affordable band — 7% below the national average. The median renter pays around $1,138 a month against a typical household income of $61,634. Our composite UrbRank Score lands at 43 out of 100 (grade D), putting it at #728 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Grand Rapids's composite cost-of-living index lands at 93 (100 = US average), which puts it in the affordable band. At $1,138/mo against $61,634 in median household income, the typical renter spends about 22% of income on housing — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Median home value sits around $203,900.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Climate is cold-winter — summer averages around 81°F, winter averages around 21°F. Precipitation totals about 39 inches a year. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 46 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Grand Rapids doesn't obviously fit families. The profile-weighted score is 49/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (75/100); the soft spot is climate (23/100).
Grand Rapids doesn't obviously fit retirees. The profile-weighted score is 46/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (75/100); the soft spot is climate (23/100).
Grand Rapids doesn't obviously fit remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 50/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (75/100); the soft spot is climate (23/100).
Grand Rapids doesn't obviously fit young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 47/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (75/100); the soft spot is climate (23/100).
Our overall score for Grand Rapids is 43/100 — a D, sitting at #728 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Grand Rapids sits at 93 — affordable, 7% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,138 a month.
Grand Rapids runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 81°F, winter's near 21°F; 39 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 68/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 198,096 people live here, with 39% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 32.
Drop Grand Rapids into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Grand Rapids with other Michigan cities scored on UrbRank.
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