While big cities like Grand Rapids offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Grand Rapids. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Grand Rapids without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Grand Rapids are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Grand Rapids area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Grand Rapids for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Grand Rapids? East Grand Rapids ranks as the best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of East Grand Rapids, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Grand Rapids ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Michigan:
The 10 Best Grand Rapids Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 11,385
Median Income: $160,417
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 1.7%
More on East Grand Rapids: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
East Grand Rapids is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Grand Rapids area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome East Grand Rapids.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $160,417 a year, which is the highest in the Grand Rapids region. And only 1.91% are out of work. Homes average more than $572,507 each.
2. Spring Lake, MI
/10
Population: 2,530
Median Income: $71,813
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on Spring Lake: Real Estate
Spring Lake is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Grand Rapids for 2024.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 2.26% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 16,017
Median Income: $76,344
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Grandville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Grandville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Grand Rapids metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Grandville.
/10
Population: 4,259
Median Income: $67,759
Unemployment Rate: 0.6%
Poverty Rate: 9.1%
More on Middleville: Data | Real Estate
Middleville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Middleville and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 7,633
Median Income: $86,000
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Hudsonville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Hudsonville.
Hudsonville gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Grand Rapids area, where houses sell for an average of $367,928. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
The schools are awesome
Everything very friendly to live one of the best suburbs to live in
/10
Population: 6,144
Median Income: $100,380
Unemployment Rate: 8.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.2%
More on Rockford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Rockford is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 8.42%.
According to online reports, Rockford is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Grand Rapids area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 5,701
Median Income: $60,505
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 8.2%
More on Zeeland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Zeeland.
Zeeland schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 25,175
Median Income: $72,020
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.1%
More on Walker: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Walker is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.72% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 34,186
Median Income: $69,152
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 11.6%
More on Holland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Holland?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Holland Michigan is a BEAUTIFUL area! I visited family in the area and they showed me everything this place has to offer!
Saugatuck Dunes State Park was amazing! The best stop of the trip for sure! The scenery was beautiful and the people were as friendly as can be. Can’t wait to return!
/10
Population: 10,961
Median Income: $57,650
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 12.1%
More on Grand Haven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Grand Haven.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
It is such a nice little beach town on Lake Michigan. Only a 2, 2.5 hour drive from Metro Detroit and makes you feel like you’re on vacation.
The nice beach, water and little downtown. The only bad thing was that it was really crowded.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Grand Rapids for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Grand Rapids was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Grand Rapids.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 22 suburbs to evaluate around Grand Rapids.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 22 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Grand Rapids.” We’re lookin’ at you, East Grand Rapids.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Grand Rapids suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Grand Rapids ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Grand Rapids are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Grand Rapids but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Table: Best Grand Rapids Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Grand Rapids, MI | 11,385 | $160,417 | $572,507 |
| 2 | Spring Lake, MI | 2,530 | $71,813 | $372,123 |
| 3 | Grandville, MI | 16,017 | $76,344 | $332,792 |
| 4 | Middleville, MI | 4,259 | $67,759 | $318,985 |
| 5 | Hudsonville, MI | 7,633 | $86,000 | $367,928 |
| 6 | Rockford, MI | 6,144 | $100,380 | $386,671 |
| 7 | Zeeland, MI | 5,701 | $60,505 | $336,250 |
| 8 | Walker, MI | 25,175 | $72,020 | $311,743 |
| 9 | Holland, MI | 34,186 | $69,152 | $321,850 |
| 10 | Grand Haven, MI | 10,961 | $57,650 | $342,638 |
| 11 | Kentwood, MI | 54,042 | $66,945 | $293,250 |
| 12 | Wayland, MI | 4,411 | $63,500 | $302,008 |
| 13 | Wyoming, MI | 76,732 | $67,234 | $245,215 |
| 14 | Lowell, MI | 4,127 | $59,712 | $341,982 |
| 15 | Sparta, MI | 4,247 | $55,033 | $291,676 |
| 16 | Lake Odessa, MI | 2,129 | $66,397 | $215,182 |
| 17 | Hastings, MI | 7,504 | $54,118 | $198,616 |
| 18 | Coopersville, MI | 4,804 | $62,995 | $289,406 |
| 19 | Cedar Springs, MI | 3,646 | $47,300 | $291,436 |
| 20 | Ionia, MI | 13,081 | $60,413 | $188,448 |
| 21 | Greenville, MI | 8,866 | $50,332 | $227,857 |
| 22 | Belding, MI | 5,942 | $52,083 | $215,547 |