Grand Rapids has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Grand Rapids without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Grand Rapids: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Grand Rapids for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Grand Rapids? East Grand Rapids ranks as the best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2026 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 2026
/10
Population: 11,445
Median Income: $166,610
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on East Grand Rapids: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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 $166,610 a year, which is the highest in the Grand Rapids region. And only 3.22% are out of work. Homes average more than $664,183 each.
2. Spring Lake, MI
/10
Population: 2,519
Median Income: $88,365
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 7.3%
More on Spring Lake: Movers
Spring Lake is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Grand Rapids for 2026.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 1.79% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 6,218
Median Income: $107,121
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Rockford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Rockford, 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 Rockford.
/10
Lowell ranks as the 4th best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lowell and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 16,356
Median Income: $78,442
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 7.3%
More on Grandville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Grandville.
Grandville gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Grand Rapids area, where houses sell for an average of $353,730. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 7,769
Median Income: $91,280
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Hudsonville: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Hudsonville 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 5.41%.
According to online reports, Hudsonville is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Grand Rapids area, meaning you need to get in soon.
The schools are awesome
Everything very friendly to live one of the best suburbs to live in
/10
Population: 25,386
Median Income: $76,360
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.6%
More on Walker: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Walker.
Walker 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 5.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 4,380
Median Income: $73,625
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Middleville: Data | Movers
Middleville 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 3.18% of people lack insurance, good for 8th in the area.
/10
Population: 34,423
Median Income: $75,865
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 10.3%
More on Holland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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: 10,996
Median Income: $60,669
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 14.5%
More on Grand Haven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 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 2026
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 2020-2024 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 23 suburbs to evaluate around Grand Rapids.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 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 2026. This report is our eleventh 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 2026
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 | 11,445 | $166,610 | $664,183 |
| 2 | Spring Lake, MI | 2,519 | $88,365 | $419,158 |
| 3 | Rockford, MI | 6,218 | $107,121 | $450,322 |
| 4 | Lowell, MI | 4,139 | $72,875 | $402,170 |
| 5 | Grandville, MI | 16,356 | $78,442 | $353,730 |
| 6 | Hudsonville, MI | 7,769 | $91,280 | $417,203 |
| 7 | Walker, MI | 25,386 | $76,360 | $352,817 |
| 8 | Middleville, MI | 4,380 | $73,625 | $356,142 |
| 9 | Holland, MI | 34,423 | $75,865 | $364,546 |
| 10 | Grand Haven, MI | 10,996 | $60,669 | $391,796 |
| 11 | Zeeland, MI | 5,665 | $52,628 | $382,236 |
| 12 | Kentwood, MI | 54,296 | $74,373 | $331,531 |
| 13 | Wayland, MI | 4,457 | $74,464 | $337,075 |
| 14 | Wyoming, MI | 77,353 | $73,677 | $286,890 |
| 15 | Ionia, MI | 12,753 | $63,978 | $222,836 |
| 16 | Sparta, MI | 4,271 | $60,728 | $332,486 |
| 17 | Saranac, MI | 2,013 | $66,944 | $287,971 |
| 18 | Coopersville, MI | 4,848 | $67,131 | $344,568 |
| 19 | Lake Odessa, MI | 2,155 | $62,813 | $256,013 |
| 20 | Hastings, MI | 7,520 | $58,286 | $235,810 |
| 21 | Cedar Springs, MI | 3,670 | $57,979 | $340,591 |
| 22 | Belding, MI | 5,960 | $60,373 | $264,511 |
| 23 | Greenville, MI | 8,995 | $63,285 | $265,109 |
