Grand Rapids city, MI (Michigan) has about 198,535 residents. Workers there whose highest education is a bachelor's degree earn a median of $58,818 a year, about 60% more than workers with a high school diploma ($36,689) (Census Bureau, 2020-2024, everyone 25 and over with earnings). Median rent is $1,266 a month. Places are listed alphabetically or by number; MajorPays does not rank places.
Pay by education level
Bachelor's premium
+60%
Bachelor's pay over high school pay
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher
42%
Ages 25 and over
Median household income
$69,108
Census ACS 2020-2024
Housing and cost
Median rent
$1,266/mo
Gross rent, ACS 2020-2024
Median home value
$244,500
Owner-occupied homes
Rent as a share of bachelor's pay
26%
A year of median rent over median bachelor's earnings
Renters paying 30%+ of income
49%
Renter households
Work and people
Unemployment, bachelor's degree or higher
1.5%
Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024
Unemployment, high school diploma
8.0%
Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024
Commutes of 45 minutes or more
6%
Share of workers
Median age
32.3
Years
Households with broadband
90%
Any broadband subscription
People without health insurance
7.2%
All ages, ACS 2020-2024
Homeownership rate
54%
Occupied homes that are owner-occupied
Residents enrolled in college
8.3%
College or graduate school, age 3 and over
Workers who work from home
13.9%
Workers 16 and over
Veterans among adults
4.0%
Civilian adults 18 and over
Poverty rate
16.9%
Share of people below the poverty level, ACS 2020-2024
Colleges in Grand Rapids
The federal directory lists 10 colleges with a campus here, in alphabetical order; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Each name links to the college’s profile.
| College | Type | Level | Students, fall 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquinas College | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 1,157 |
| Calvin Theological Seminary | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 367 |
| Calvin University | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 3,681 |
| Cornerstone University | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 1,695 |
| Davenport University | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 4,815 |
| Dorsey College-Grand Rapids | Private for-profit | Less than 2-year | 82 |
| Empire Beauty School-Michigan | Private for-profit | Less than 2-year | 259 |
| Grand Rapids Community College | Public | 2-year | 12,468 |
| Kuyper College | Private nonprofit | 4-year or above | 161 |
| Ross College-Grand Rapids North | Private for-profit | 2-year | 387 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS directory (HD 2024, city of the campus, matched to the Census place by name) and Fall Enrollment 2024 (total headcount). A student count is the size of a college, not its quality; the Department has not endorsed this presentation.
Explore more: Compare with other places · Michigan earnings by education and major · Michigan counties · all Michigan cities and towns · find it in the lists · the States map
Sources: pay by education, income, rent, home value, rent burden, commute times, median age, broadband, health insurance, home ownership, poverty, college enrollment, working from home and veterans from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (Tables B20004, B15003, B19013, B25064, B25077, B25070, B08303, B01002, B28002, B27010, B25003, B17001, B14001, B08301, B21001 and B23006; earnings are published medians for everyone 25 and over with earnings, so they include part-time workers and run lower than full-time figures; median earnings, income, rent and home values are shown only when their margin of error is at most 20%; shares such as rent burden, commutes and broadband are shown only when their margin of error is at most 7 percentage points, and median age only when its margin is at most 20%, and unemployment rates by education level only when their margin of error is at most 2.5 percentage points, so small areas often show none; rent as a share of bachelor's pay is MajorPays' calculation). Cities and towns are Census places, which include some unincorporated communities (census designated places). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; none of these agencies has approved or endorsed this presentation. Figures describe an area as a whole, not any person in it. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.