City profile · Michigan · Census ACS 2023

Allendale, MI

Allendale's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

25,741
Residents
$68,449
Median income
$287,600
Median home
$1,113
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Allendale.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MI-ALLENDALE-MI · Allendale, MI 25,741 pop · income 48th pct

POP-SMALL · INC-MID · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-SMALL 25,741
  • INC-MID $68,449
  • COL-PAR 96.2
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 48th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Sheldon
  • HOME-MID $287,600
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Sheldon, IA ( $1 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Allendale

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Allendale on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Allendale on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 25,741.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $68,449. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Allendale - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Allendale lands in the 48th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

48th
percentile, household income
63rd
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Allendale, MI

Allendale is a small city in Michigan, home to 25,741 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $68,449 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 3.4%. Home values in Allendale run a median of $287,600, and the median resident age is 21.4 years. Educational attainment runs 42.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 65.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 3 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.

Living costs in Michigan run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Michigan scores 96.2 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,113 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Michigan run around $238, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Allendale report an average commute of 18.7 minutes, with 74.0% driving alone and 8.6% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.6 out of 100 (Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Allendale's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Allendale, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Allendale?

The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.

The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 42.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

See how the family ranking is built →

2. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Allendale?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Inkster (25,602 residents, $39,632 income); Okemos (25,503 residents, $97,603 income); Holt (25,275 residents, $87,827 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sebastian, FL (25,759 residents); Staunton, VA (25,765 residents); Rockville Centre, NY (25,770 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in Allendale?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 74.0%. The reported mean trip to work is 18.7 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

4. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Allendale?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

25,741 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$68,449 /yr

Below median income · poverty 3.4% (Low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

96.2 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average

City profile score · Allendale, MI

63/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Bachelor's+ share B+
42.9%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate B+
3.4%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living C
96.2 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income D
$68,449

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Allendale profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Cost of living, Household income. Bachelor's+ sharePoverty rateCost of livingHousehold income 63 C+
Allendale profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 78/100 (B+) · 42.9%
  • Poverty rate: 76/100 (B+) · 3.4%
  • Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
  • Household income: 47/100 (D) · $68,449

How does Allendale compare to other US cities?

Allendale measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 48% higher than other cities
Home value 63% pricier than other cities
Median rent 32% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Allendale against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Michigan only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Michigan-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Allendale near the bottom of Michigan's cities

Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Allendale ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Allendale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#245 of 718
66th percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#82 of 721
89th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#551 of 727
23rd percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#108 of 727
85th percentile in Michigan
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Michigan only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

48thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

48th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Allendale's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$287,600 37th percentile more affordable than 37% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). This entry sits in this band. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Allendale $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Allendale's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.2×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,247 of 15,516
More affordable than 28% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,141 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 4.2×, Allendale sits in the moderate band: national rank #11,247 of 15,516 and #2,141 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$68,449 Allendale, MI median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Allendale, MI Allendale, MI's median household income ($68,449) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Allendale, MI-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Allendale, MI median $68,449/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Allendale, MI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Allendale, MI.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 42.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.4%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.1%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
25,741
Median Income
$68,449
Median Home Value
$287,600
Median Age
21.4
Poverty Rate
3.4%
Labor force participation
65.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
42.9%

Schools

Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
18.7 minutes
Drive Alone
74.0%
Carpool
5.6%
Public Transit
1.9%
Walk
8.5%
Work from Home
8.6%
Other
1.4%

Based on 14,188 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Michigan statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $238

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Michigan at $238 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $48 ).

These are Michigan statewide averages, not a meter reading for Allendale. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Michigan's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Allendale is $1,113/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Michigan statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.6 / 100 (Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Michigan statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Allendale sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Allendale compares to similar-size Michigan cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Allendale (this city) 25,741 $68,449
Inkster 25,602 $39,632
Okemos 25,503 $97,603
Holt 25,275 $87,827
NCES CCD
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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