Best PlacesKnollwood, Kalamazoo, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Knollwood, Kalamazoo, 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.
Knollwood, Kalamazoo ranks 5,080th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Knollwood, Kalamazoo
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.
Knollwood, Kalamazoo's strengths and weaknesses
Where Knollwood, Kalamazoo ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$732 a month, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB−, better than 72% of neighborhoods
Where Knollwood, Kalamazoo ranks low
- Household income$35,748 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Knollwood, Kalamazoo
A household needs to earn about $17,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Knollwood, Kalamazoo home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $35,748, 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 Knollwood, Kalamazoo's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Knollwood, Kalamazoo
Knollwood, Kalamazoo runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Knollwood, Kalamazoo.
Who works in Knollwood, Kalamazoo, and how
Work in Knollwood, Kalamazoo centers on hospitality & food and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 19%
Life in Knollwood, Kalamazoo
Knollwood, Kalamazoo has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Knollwood, Kalamazoo and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Knollwood, Kalamazoo, month by month
Knollwood, Kalamazoo sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 27° | 20° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 37° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Knollwood, Kalamazoo
The nearest airport, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 114 miles away.
The best schools in and around Knollwood, Kalamazoo
Schools across Knollwood, Kalamazoo average a B−, better than 72% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Maple Street Magnet School For The ArtsA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Loy Norrix High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Knollwood, Kalamazoo school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Knollwood, Kalamazoo 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 Knollwood, Kalamazoo against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Knollwood, Kalamazoo
Is Knollwood, Kalamazoo a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Knollwood, Kalamazoo ranks 5,080th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, affordable childcare, and cell coverage, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Knollwood, Kalamazoo expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $63,581. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $35,748 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Knollwood, Kalamazoo safe?
Knollwood, Kalamazoo is safer than 41% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $579 per resident a year.
Compare Knollwood, Kalamazoo with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Knollwood, Kalamazoo. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Knollwood, Kalamazoo 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.
Knollwood, Kalamazoo detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Knollwood, Kalamazoo: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Knollwood, Kalamazoo: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Knollwood, Kalamazoo: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Knollwood, Kalamazoo: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Knollwood, Kalamazoo 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.