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.
$166,610 median income · $664,184 median home price
Located in
Kent County, Michigan
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 3.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $664,184 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$88,365 median income · $419,158 median home price
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 1.8% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
$107,121 median income · $450,322 median home price
Located in
Kent County, Michigan
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,875 median income · $402,171 median home price
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$78,442 median income · $353,731 median home price
Located in
Kent County, Michigan
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 $353,731. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$91,280 median income · $417,204 median home price
Located in
Ottawa County, Michigan
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 5.4%.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$76,360 median income · $352,818 median home price
Located in
Kent County, Michigan
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$73,625 median income · $356,142 median home price
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 3.2% of people lack insurance, good for 8th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,865 median income · $364,546 median home price
Located in
Ottawa County, Michigan
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$60,669 median income · $391,797 median home price
Located in
Ottawa County, Michigan
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
Michigan statewide median: $72,875
Michigan statewide median: $259,857
Michigan statewide median: 5.7%
Michigan statewide median: 13.2%
On the map
Where the best Grand Rapids suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Grand Rapids Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Grand Rapids | 2.64 | 11,445 | $166,610 | $664,184 |
| 2 | Spring Lake | 3.86 | 2,519 | $88,365 | $419,158 |
| 3 | Rockford | 6.79 | 6,218 | $107,121 | $450,322 |
| 4 | Lowell | 6.79 | 4,139 | $72,875 | $402,171 |
| 5 | Grandville | 6.86 | 16,356 | $78,442 | $353,731 |
| 6 | Hudsonville | 8.36 | 7,769 | $91,280 | $417,204 |
| 7 | Walker | 9.14 | 25,386 | $76,360 | $352,818 |
| 8 | Middleville | 9.71 | 4,380 | $73,625 | $356,142 |
| 9 | Holland | 9.86 | 34,423 | $75,865 | $364,546 |
| 10 | Grand Haven | 10.43 | 10,996 | $60,669 | $391,797 |
| 11 | Zeeland | 10.57 | 5,665 | $52,628 | $382,237 |
| 12 | Kentwood | 12.00 | 54,296 | $74,373 | $331,531 |
| 13 | Wayland | 12.71 | 4,457 | $74,464 | $337,076 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 13.57 | 77,353 | $73,677 | $286,890 |
| 15 | Ionia | 15.57 | 12,753 | $63,978 | $222,836 |
| 16 | Sparta | 15.57 | 4,271 | $60,728 | $332,487 |
| 17 | Saranac | 15.71 | 2,013 | $66,944 | $287,971 |
| 18 | Coopersville | 16.00 | 4,848 | $67,131 | $344,569 |
| 19 | Lake Odessa | 16.71 | 2,155 | $62,813 | $256,013 |
| 20 | Hastings | 16.86 | 7,520 | $58,286 | $235,811 |
| 21 | Cedar Springs | 17.57 | 3,670 | $57,979 | $340,591 |
| 22 | Belding | 19.29 | 5,960 | $60,373 | $264,511 |
| 23 | Greenville | 19.43 | 8,995 | $63,285 | $265,109 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 23 suburbs within 30 miles of Grand Rapids.
Summary
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 East Grand Rapids, Spring Lake, Rockford, Lowell, Grandville, Hudsonville, Walker, Middleville, Holland, and Grand Haven.
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. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Grand Rapids FAQs
What is the best suburb of Grand Rapids?
East Grand Rapids is the best suburb of Grand Rapids for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Spring Lake and Rockford are next.
What are the best suburbs of Grand Rapids?
The best suburbs of Grand Rapids are East Grand Rapids, Spring Lake, Rockford, Lowell, Grandville, Hudsonville, Walker, Middleville, Holland, and Grand Haven. We ranked all 23 places within commuting range.
How expensive is East Grand Rapids?
The median household income in East Grand Rapids is $166,610 and the median home costs $664,184. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Grand Rapids?
Any place within 30 miles of Grand Rapids qualifies. 23 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Grand Rapids suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, East Grand Rapids, takes the crown.
