Best PlacesCreston, Grand Rapids, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Creston, Grand Rapids, 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.
Creston, Grand Rapids ranks 3,187th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Creston, Grand Rapids
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.
Creston, Grand Rapids' strengths and weaknesses
Where Creston, Grand Rapids ranks high
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.1 minutes each way, better than 84% of neighborhoods
Where Creston, Grand Rapids ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD+, better than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Creston, Grand Rapids
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Creston, Grand Rapids home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,174, 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 Creston, Grand Rapids' 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Creston, Grand Rapids
Creston, Grand Rapids runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Creston, Grand Rapids.
Who works in Creston, Grand Rapids, and how
Work in Creston, Grand Rapids centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Creston, Grand Rapids
Creston, Grand Rapids has more parkland per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Creston, Grand Rapids and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Creston, Grand Rapids, month by month
Creston, Grand Rapids 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 Creston, Grand Rapids
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 114 miles away.
The best schools in and around Creston, Grand Rapids
Schools across Creston, Grand Rapids average a D+, better than 17% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- West Oakview Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- North Park Montessori AcademyC+ · 37% proficient
- Aberdeen AcademyD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Center For EconomicologyB+ · 50% proficient
- Mill Creek Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Highlands SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- City MiddlehighA− · 62% proficient
- Northview High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Grand Rapids Public Museum HighC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Creston, Grand Rapids school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Creston, Grand Rapids 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 Creston, Grand Rapids against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Creston, Grand Rapids suits
Families
Schools land around the 17th percentile and crime safety beats 72%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Creston, Grand Rapids
Is Creston, Grand Rapids a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Creston, Grand Rapids ranks 3,187th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a stable housing market, and heat safety, 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 Creston, Grand Rapids expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $238,102. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $75,174 median income, cost of living beats 55% of neighborhoods.
Is Creston, Grand Rapids safe?
Yes, Creston, Grand Rapids is safer than 72% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $379 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Creston, Grand Rapids?
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 neighborhoods.
Is Creston, Grand Rapids good for families?
Schools beat 17% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 72%, and childcare runs $776 a month.
Compare Creston, Grand Rapids with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Creston, Grand Rapids. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Creston, Grand Rapids 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.
Creston, Grand Rapids detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Creston, Grand Rapids: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Creston, Grand Rapids: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Creston, Grand Rapids: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Creston, Grand Rapids: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Creston, Grand Rapids 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.