Welcome to the land of the 1%. Where you’ll find lawyers, and doctors, and business executives. And while they aren’t made of ticky-tacky, they are definitely made of money.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods that Grand Rapids has to offer — where houses go for well over the national median and household incomes follow suit.
But where exactly in Grand Rapids do the richest of the rich people live? That would be Fulton Heights, where the median income is a cool $88,668.
$88,668 median income
$78,280 median income
$76,768 median income
$72,959 median income
$70,679 median income
$70,289 median income
$69,995 median income
$68,114 median income
$67,886 median income
$67,069 median income
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
How we determined the wealthiest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids for 2026
Every city has its best neighborhoods — where everyone wants to live — and the worst neighborhoods — where no one wants to live. And then you have the wealthiest neighborhoods, where no one can afford to live.
And by no one, we mean you because there’s always someone richer than you.
How do you quantify richer than you? We looked at one simple criterion:
- Highest median household income
Using Saturday Night Science, we researched income data from the Census and BLS for every neighborhood in Grand Rapids.
We ranked every neighborhood in Grand Rapids by median income from highest to lowest. The neighborhood with the highest median income, Fulton Heights, was named the wealthiest neighborhood in Grand Rapids.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the most affluent neighborhoods to live in Grand Rapids.
The full plate
Richest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids for 2026 by median income
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulton Heights | $88,668 |
| 2 | Eastown | $78,280 |
| 3 | Cherry Run | $76,768 |
| 4 | Norteast Citizens Action | $72,959 |
| 5 | Ottawa Hills | $70,679 |
| 6 | Millbrook | $70,289 |
| 7 | Eastgate | $69,995 |
| 8 | Ridgemoor | $68,114 |
| 9 | Westside Connection | $67,886 |
| 10 | Michgan Oaks | $67,069 |
| 11 | Creston | $59,171 |
| 12 | East Hills | $58,922 |
| 13 | Alger Heights | $57,904 |
| 14 | Baxter | $57,251 |
| 15 | Highland Park | $56,041 |
| 16 | Belknap Lookout | $54,761 |
| 17 | Fuller Avenue | $53,517 |
| 18 | Midtown | $52,263 |
| 19 | John Ball Park | $51,944 |
| 20 | South East End | $51,873 |
| 21 | Heritage Hill | $50,454 |
| 22 | Garfield Park | $50,192 |
| 23 | Swan | $49,516 |
| 24 | Black Hills | $49,188 |
| 25 | West Grand | $46,842 |
| 26 | South Hill | $46,503 |
| 27 | Oakdale | $44,480 |
| 28 | Heartside | $41,543 |
| 29 | Roosevelt Park | $40,341 |
| 30 | Madison Area | $37,390 |
| 31 | South East Community | $36,130 |
| 32 | Auburn Hill | $35,821 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 32 Grand Rapids neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The wealthiest pockets of Grand Rapids
What’s the richest neighborhood to live in Grand Rapids for 2026? According to the most recent census data, Fulton Heights looks to be the richest Grand Rapids neighborhood to live in.
The richest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are Fulton Heights, Eastown, Cherry Run, Norteast Citizens Action, Ottawa Hills, Millbrook, Eastgate, Ridgemoor, Westside Connection, and Michgan Oaks.
The poorest neighborhood? That would be Auburn Hill.
We ranked the neighborhoods from richest to poorest 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
Richest Neighborhoods In Grand Rapids FAQs
What is the richest neighborhood in Grand Rapids?
Fulton Heights is the richest neighborhood in Grand Rapids for 2026, with a median household income of $88,668. Eastown and Cherry Run are next.
What are the richest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids?
The richest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are Fulton Heights, Eastown, Cherry Run, Norteast Citizens Action, Ottawa Hills, Millbrook, Eastgate, Ridgemoor, Westside Connection, and Michgan Oaks. We ranked all 32 neighborhoods by median household income, highest to lowest.
How much do people make in Fulton Heights?
The median household in Fulton Heights earns $88,668 a year, and the median home there is worth $180,800. Those two numbers travel together in most cities, and Grand Rapids is no exception.
How do you rank the richest neighborhoods?
One measure: median household income from Census tract data, ranked highest to lowest. No composite score, no adjustments — just where the money lives.
What is the poorest neighborhood in Grand Rapids?
Auburn Hill posts the lowest median household income of the 32 Grand Rapids neighborhoods we ranked. It anchors the bottom of the income table above.
