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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Grand Rapids are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Grand Rapids for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Grand Rapids? East Grand Rapids ranks as the best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2022 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.
Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Michigan:
The 10 Best Grand Rapids Suburbs To Live For 2022
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 $141,406 a year, which is the highest in the Grand Rapids region. And only 1.96% are out of work. Homes average more than $395,200 each.
/10
Population: 11,855
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $141,406
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 1.8%
More on East Grand Rapids: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Spring Lake is the second best 'burb we looked at near Grand Rapids for 2022.
It ranks 7th for incomes in the area and only 2.75% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 2,477
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 3)
Median Income: $62,857
Unemployment Rate: 5.2%
Poverty Rate: 6.4%
More on Spring Lake: Real Estate | Data
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: 15,906
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $65,656
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 7.0%
More on Grandville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Walker ranks as the 4th best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2022.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Walker and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 24,930
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Income: $63,878
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.9%
More on Walker: Real Estate | Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Middleville.
Middleville gets kudos for having the 13th most expensive homes in the Grand Rapids area, where houses sell for an average of $143,000. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 3,447
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $60,521
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 10.6%
More on Middleville: Real Estate | Data
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 8.32% which is 2best in the area.
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: 6,310
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $86,694
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%
Poverty Rate: 8.2%
More on Rockford: Real Estate | Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lowell.
Lowell 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 15.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 4,136
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 6)
Median Income: $64,492
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 9.8%
More on Lowell: Real Estate | Data
Hudsonville 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 2.96% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 7,353
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $75,730
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Hudsonville: Real Estate | Data
Is 'Everything Better In Zeeland?'
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.
/10
Population: 5,540
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $58,794
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Zeeland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Holland.
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.
/10
Population: 33,329
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Income: $58,796
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.6%
More on Holland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Grand Rapids for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Grand Rapids was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- 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
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: 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.
And 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. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or 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 2022
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.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Grand Rapids, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Grand Rapids Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Grand Rapids, MI | 11,855 |
| 2 | Spring Lake, MI | 2,477 |
| 3 | Grandville, MI | 15,906 |
| 4 | Walker, MI | 24,930 |
| 5 | Middleville, MI | 3,447 |
| 6 | Rockford, MI | 6,310 |
| 7 | Lowell, MI | 4,136 |
| 8 | Hudsonville, MI | 7,353 |
| 9 | Zeeland, MI | 5,540 |
| 10 | Holland, MI | 33,329 |
| 11 | Kentwood, MI | 51,780 |
| 12 | Grand Haven, MI | 10,991 |
| 13 | Wayland, MI | 4,227 |
| 14 | Coopersville, MI | 4,388 |
| 15 | Sparta, MI | 4,390 |
| 16 | Wyoming, MI | 75,999 |
| 17 | Hastings, MI | 7,314 |
| 18 | Lake Odessa, MI | 2,182 |
| 19 | Greenville, MI | 8,407 |
| 20 | Ionia, MI | 11,178 |
| 21 | Cedar Springs, MI | 3,703 |
| 22 | Belding, MI | 5,729 |
