PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI

49.2
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#205
of 387 metros
47%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Grand Rapids ranks #205 of 387 US metros, ahead of 47% - carried by its childcare (82/100) and held back most by safety (19/100).

82
strongest: Childcare
76
then: Schools
19
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Grand Rapids sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

49 47th percentile higher than 47% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Grand Rapids Life Score

Grand Rapids's composite score of 49.2 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #205 of 387, ahead of 47% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (82/100) and Schools (76/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (19/100) and Environment (35/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 95.5 (rent-RPP 86.6). BLS median salary $64,968, 584,240 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,334/mo (studio $1,010).

FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 17.5:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI). Ranks #202-#208 below.

Dimension detail

How Grand Rapids scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 40/100 (20%)
Wages 60/100 (20%)
Rent 47/100 (15%)
Safety 19/100 (15%)
Schools 76/100 (10%)
Childcare 82/100 (10%)
Environment 35/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

95.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$64,968
Avg Median Salary
$1,334
2BR Fair Market Rent
431
Violent Crime/100K (MI)
17.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,444
Infant Childcare/yr (MI)
90
Superfund Sites (MI)
584,240
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Grand Rapids With...

Grand Rapids vs Midland Compare → Grand Rapids vs Saginaw Compare → Grand Rapids vs Niles Compare → Grand Rapids vs Wildwood Compare → Grand Rapids vs Waterloo Compare → Grand Rapids vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Grand Rapids outranks 47% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#202 Morristown, TN 49.3 B-
#203 Killeen-Temple, TX 49.3 B-
#204 Vineland, NJ 49.4 B-
#205 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI 49.2 B-
#206 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 49.2 B-
#207 Bloomington, IL 49.1 B-
#208 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 49.0 B-

MI Metro Scores

Midland, MI A 62.6 Saginaw, MI A- 59.9 Niles, MI B+ 56.5 Jackson, MI B+ 56.2 Flint, MI B+ 56.1 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI B+ 55.6

Using Grand Rapids's Life Score

Grand Rapids is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (82/100) and its weakest is safety (19/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Grand Rapids head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Grand Rapids lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Grand Rapids's biggest strengths? ▼
Grand Rapids's strongest dimensions are Childcare (82/100), Schools (76/100), Wages (60/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Grand Rapids's weakest areas? ▼
Grand Rapids's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (19/100), Environment (35/100), Cost of Living (40/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Grand Rapids compared to the national average? ▼
Grand Rapids's Regional Price Parity is 95.5 (4.5% less than national); rent RPP 86.6.
What is the average salary in Grand Rapids? ▼
Grand Rapids median salary: $64,968, 584,240 jobs. Top: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Grand Rapids's 49.2/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.