What’s the best part of Grand Rapids? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Grand Rapids neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to Michigan and Grand Rapids is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$70,679 median income · $333,700 median home value
$70,289 median income · $188,000 median home value
$78,280 median income · $248,925 median home value
$58,922 median income · $175,650 median home value
$67,886 median income · $169,860 median home value
$67,069 median income · $178,800 median home value
$68,114 median income · $237,600 median home value
$76,768 median income · $163,000 median home value
$69,995 median income · $179,400 median home value
$59,171 median income · $150,367 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Grand Rapids, MI neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 32 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Grand Rapids.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ottawa Hills.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Grand Rapids, Michigan has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Grand Rapids.
The full plate
Table: Best Grand Rapids neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Hills | 800 | $333,700 | $70,679 |
| 2 | Millbrook | 6,637 | $188,000 | $70,289 |
| 3 | Eastown | 4,843 | $248,925 | $78,280 |
| 4 | East Hills | 3,683 | $175,650 | $58,922 |
| 5 | Westside Connection | 11,928 | $169,860 | $67,886 |
| 6 | Michgan Oaks | 1,776 | $178,800 | $67,069 |
| 7 | Ridgemoor | 2,640 | $237,600 | $68,114 |
| 8 | Cherry Run | 739 | $163,000 | $76,768 |
| 9 | Eastgate | 701 | $179,400 | $69,995 |
| 10 | Creston | 26,114 | $150,367 | $59,171 |
| 11 | Midtown | 3,870 | $186,875 | $52,263 |
| 12 | Fulton Heights | 1,034 | $180,800 | $88,668 |
| 13 | Highland Park | 3,324 | $131,500 | $56,041 |
| 14 | Norteast Citizens Action | 11,383 | $213,238 | $72,959 |
| 15 | Baxter | 2,872 | $134,267 | $57,251 |
| 16 | Heritage Hill | 3,739 | $238,709 | $50,454 |
| 17 | Heartside | 3,513 | $256,700 | $41,543 |
| 18 | Belknap Lookout | 4,731 | $217,267 | $54,761 |
| 19 | Alger Heights | 4,344 | $136,233 | $57,904 |
| 20 | South Hill | 899 | $207,300 | $46,503 |
| 21 | Swan | 5,037 | $173,950 | $49,516 |
| 22 | South East End | 4,401 | $142,933 | $51,873 |
| 23 | Auburn Hill | 213 | $158,400 | $35,821 |
| 24 | Garfield Park | 17,372 | $94,325 | $50,192 |
| 25 | Madison Area | 3,424 | $98,940 | $37,390 |
| 26 | Fuller Avenue | 2,019 | $108,150 | $53,517 |
| 27 | West Grand | 16,637 | $137,400 | $46,842 |
| 28 | John Ball Park | 3,599 | $121,400 | $51,944 |
| 29 | Oakdale | 2,354 | $112,833 | $44,480 |
| 30 | Roosevelt Park | 6,380 | $90,740 | $40,341 |
| 31 | South East Community | 4,161 | $121,911 | $36,130 |
| 32 | Black Hills | 590 | $65,100 | $49,188 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 32 Grand Rapids neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Grand Rapids where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are Ottawa Hills, Millbrook, Eastown, East Hills, Westside Connection, Michgan Oaks, Ridgemoor, Cherry Run, Eastgate, and Creston.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Grand Rapids aren’t all good. Black Hills takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Grand Rapids.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Grand Rapids FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Grand Rapids?
Ottawa Hills is the best neighborhood in Grand Rapids for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Millbrook and Eastown are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids?
The best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are Ottawa Hills, Millbrook, Eastown, East Hills, Westside Connection, Michgan Oaks, Ridgemoor, Cherry Run, Eastgate, and Creston. We ranked all 32 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Ottawa Hills?
The median household income in Ottawa Hills is $70,679 and the median home costs $333,700. The best blocks in Grand Rapids rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Grand Rapids neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Ottawa Hills, takes the top spot.
Which Grand Rapids neighborhood ranked last?
Black Hills came in last of the 32 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Grand Rapids the numbers put it there.
