Best Places49052, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 49052, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
49052 ranks 17,355th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. A weak job market pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on quiet.
The best neighborhoods in 49052
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
49052's strengths and weaknesses
Where 49052 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 49052 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 49052
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 49052 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,761, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 49052's effective rate of 1.00%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 49052
49052's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 49052.
Who works in 49052, and how
Work in 49052 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 49052
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 49052.
What the weather is like in 49052, month by month
49052 sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 27° | 19° |
| April | 61° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 49052
The nearest airport, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Detroit Metro Wayne County, about 101 miles away.
The best schools in and around 49052
Schools across 49052 average a C+, better than 46% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Indian Lake Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- East Leroy Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Climaxscotts Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vicksburg Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Union City Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Vicksburg High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Union City High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 49052 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
49052 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 49052 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 49052
Is 49052 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 49052 ranks 17,355th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, low crime, and few empty homes, and lowest on a weak job market and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 49052 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $184,517. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $69,761 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 49052 safe?
Yes, 49052 is safer than 84% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $235 per resident a year.
Compare 49052 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 49052. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 49052 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
49052 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 49052: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 49052: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 49052: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 49052: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
49052 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.