Population 17,385 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Garfield Park
Household size in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.53 | 2.69 | 2.58 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.40 | 2.70 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.72 | 2.69 | 2.53 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.31 | 2.66 | 2.51 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.22 | −0.03 | −0.06 | −0.03 |
Households in Garfield Park are large by national standards, averaging 3.31 people against 2.65 for the U.S. That usually means more families with children at home. Household size has dropped from 3.53 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. Only one other Grand Rapids neighborhood has larger households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.4 | 36.0 | 38.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 28.1 | 37.2 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 28.0 | 37.9 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 31.2 | 38.3 | 41.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.8 | +2.3 | +2.4 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 31.2, Garfield Park is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 26.4, as it has nationally. Residents skew youngest in the north and oldest in the south.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.2% | 11.0% | 11.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 27.2% | 10.9% | 11.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 26.6% | 10.5% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 21.1% | 9.7% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −4.1 pts | −1.3 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in five households in Garfield Park (21.1%), well above the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share is down 4.1 points from 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. Garfield Park has a higher share of single-parent households than at least four in five Grand Rapids neighborhoods.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Garfield Park
Renters in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.2% | 24.7% | 25.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 37.2% | 26.9% | 28.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.3% | 26.6% | 28.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 35.9% | 25.4% | 26.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +7.7 pts | +0.7 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
More than a third of households in Garfield Park rent their homes (35.9%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Renters make up a bigger share here than in the wider Grand Rapids area (25.4%). Among homeowners, 41.2% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally. The renter share has risen 7.7 points since 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.2% | 9.6% | 13.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.2% | 8.8% | 13.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.4% | 7.1% | 11.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.6% | 6.6% | 10.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.7 pts | −3.0 pts | −2.8 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Garfield Park: 6.6% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. The Grand Rapids area as a whole looks much the same. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 3.7 points, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1944 | 1974 | 1969 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1941 | 1974 | 1970 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1940 | 1976 | 1971 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1939 | 1978 | 1972 | 1980 |
| Change | −4 | +5 | +3 | +6 |
Garfield Park is a place of older homes: half were built before 1939, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Garfield Park has older homes than at least four in five Grand Rapids neighborhoods.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $834 | $800 | $833 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $862 | $848 | $886 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $974 | $950 | $978 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,215 | $1,285 | $1,228 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$381 | +$485 | +$395 | +$606 |
Rent in Garfield Park runs $1,215 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents are up $381 a month from 2006–10, a 46% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 38.9% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Garfield Park
Bachelor's degrees in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.8% | 27.1% | 26.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.3% | 29.1% | 27.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 16.5% | 31.9% | 29.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 23.6% | 36.9% | 32.7% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.7 pts | +9.8 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Garfield Park have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 23.6%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 4.7 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. College graduates are most concentrated in the southeast and least in the northwest.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 64.3% | 88.5% | 88.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 68.1% | 89.4% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 60.7% | 91.0% | 90.7% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 69.9% | 92.2% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.6 pts | +3.7 pts | +3.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
About three in ten adults in Garfield Park never finished high school, well above the national share: only 69.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma is up 5.6 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Only one other Grand Rapids neighborhood has a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Garfield Park
| Period | Garfield Park | Grand Rapids area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.7% | 9.2% | 11.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 15.8% | 9.0% | 11.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.6% | 4.2% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 3.9% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −10.5 pts | −5.3 pts | −5.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in Garfield Park: 6.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment is down 10.5 points from 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Garfield Park compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield Park | 3.31 | 31.2 | 21.1% | 35.9% | 6.6% | 1939 | $1,215 | 23.6% | 69.9% | 6.3% |
| Madison Area | 3.07 | 29.8 | 25.9% | 63.1% | 5.3% | 1943 | $951 | 22.9% | 81.7% | 1.1% |
| Alger Heights | 2.26 | 33.4 | 8.0% | 27.0% | 3.8% | 1949 | $1,073 | 46.9% | 92.3% | 2.9% |
| South East Community | 3.18 | 25.9 | 31.3% | 73.1% | 6.9% | 1951 | $1,089 | 13.7% | 80.1% | 11.1% |
| Roosevelt Park | 3.03 | 27.3 | 33.6% | 69.0% | 6.3% | 1946 | $1,263 | 13.1% | 58.3% | 9.2% |
| Fuller Avenue | 3.40 | 30.3 | 19.9% | 35.1% | 5.5% | 1939 | $1,365 | 33.1% | 83.5% | 9.4% |
| South East End | 2.56 | 37.3 | 8.3% | 22.8% | 5.4% | 1948 | $1,395 | 46.9% | 90.3% | 7.3% |
| Heritage Hill | 1.93 | 32.0 | 6.5% | 68.5% | 7.4% | 1938 | $1,326 | 57.0% | 95.6% | 3.4% |
| Heartside-Downtown | 1.43 | 35.4 | 4.4% | 90.9% | 9.6% | 1962 | $1,082 | 49.5% | 92.5% | 9.5% |
| East Hills | 1.98 | 31.0 | 6.6% | 66.2% | 7.1% | 1938 | $1,405 | 62.8% | 98.8% | 4.4% |
| Eastown | 2.60 | 30.8 | 7.3% | 34.3% | 10.9% | 1939 | $1,860 | 72.7% | 96.9% | 3.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Koreatown, Palisades Park, NJ · Pacific Heights, San Francisco, CA · Original Town, Carrollton, TX · Northwest Yonkers, Yonkers, NY · North Creek, Bothell, WA · Montavilla, Portland, OR · Merrifield, Fairfax, VA · Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA · Macdonald Ranch, Henderson, NV · Lower Vailsburg, Newark, NJ
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Garfield Park. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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