Best PlacesNorteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Norteast Citizens Action, 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.
Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids ranks 3,811th 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 Norteast Citizens Action, 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.
Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids' strengths and weaknesses
Where Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids ranks high
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.2 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
Where Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD+, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $68,606, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids' 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
Norteast Citizens Action, 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 Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids.
Who works in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids, and how
Work in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids, month by month
Norteast Citizens Action, 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 Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
The nearest airport, Gerald R Ford International, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 115 miles away.
The best schools in and around Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
Schools across Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids average a D+, better than 21% of neighborhoods.
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
Top high schools
- Eastern High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Northern High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Grand Rapids Public Museum HighC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Norteast Citizens Action, 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 Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids
Is Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids ranks 3,811th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on car insurance costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $297,461. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $68,606 median income, cost of living beats 45% of neighborhoods.
Is Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids safe?
Yes, Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids is safer than 74% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $380 per resident a year.
Compare Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Norteast Citizens Action, 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.
Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Norteast Citizens Action, Grand Rapids: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Norteast Citizens Action, 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.