Best Places49525, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 49525, 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.
49525 ranks 4,735th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 49525
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.
49525's strengths and weaknesses
Where 49525 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Short commute18.6 minutes each way, better than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 49525 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 49525
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 49525 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $97,698, 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 49525's effective rate of 1.01%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 49525
49525'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 49525.
Who works in 49525, and how
Work in 49525 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 49525
49525 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 93% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 49525 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 49525, month by month
49525 sees roughly 68 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° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 60° | 47° | 36° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 49525
The nearest airport, Gerald R Ford International, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around 49525
Schools across 49525 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Knapp Forest Elementary SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Collins Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Congress ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Eastern Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Northern Hills Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Northern Trails 56 SchoolA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Eastern High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Northern High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Northview High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 49525 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
49525 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 49525 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 49525 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 82% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 21% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 49525
Is 49525 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 49525 ranks 4,735th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, civic engagement, and low disaster risk, and lowest on car insurance costs and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 49525 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $356,646. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $97,698 median income, cost of living beats 82% of zip codes.
Is 49525 safe?
Yes, 49525 is safer than 88% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $221 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 49525?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 19. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 21% of zip codes.
Is 49525 good for families?
Schools beat 57% of zip codes, crime safety beats 88%, and childcare runs $776 a month.
Compare 49525 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 49525. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 49525 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.
49525 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 49525: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 49525: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 49525: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 49525: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
49525 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.