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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-BATTLE-CREEK-MI · Battle Creek, MI 52,392 pop · income 22nd pct · 40 tracts
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 Battle Creek
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Battle Creek on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
East Lansing · lowest
43,547
East Lansing · lowest
43,547 median HH income
39.4% of the leader · rank #1
Summersville · near
51,696
Summersville · near
51,696 median HH income
46.8% of the leader · rank #2
New York Mills · near
51,696
New York Mills · near
51,696 median HH income
46.8% of the leader · rank #3
Point · near
51,696
Point · near
51,696 median HH income
46.8% of the leader · rank #4
Battle Creek · this city
51,699
Battle Creek · this city
51,699 median HH income
46.8% of the leader · rank #5
Oswego · near
51,701
Oswego · near
51,701 median HH income
46.8% of the leader · rank #6
Placentia · highest
110,575
Placentia · highest
110,575 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Battle Creek on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 52,392.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Battle Creek - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Battle Creek places in the 22nd percentile for household income and the 10th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
22nd
percentile, household income
20th
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
10th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Battle Creek, MI
Michigan's Battle Creek is a small city, with 52,392 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Battle Creek households earn a median of $51,699 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 11.5%. Battle Creek's housing stock carries a median value of $127,600, and the median resident age is 37.6 years. Educational attainment runs 22.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 56.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 8 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Slowing), down 11% from five years earlier. Battle Creek's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3644.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 49.2°F with 34.4 inches of precipitation per year and 64.6 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Michigan run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Michigan at 96.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,113 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Michigan run around $238, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Battle Creek report an average commute of 17.6 minutes, with 77.0% driving alone and 7.2% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 49.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Battle Creek'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 within-city variation to reported crime to population change to housing and income to schools and households to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Battle Creek, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Within-city variation
What can 40 Census tracts reveal inside Battle Creek?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 40 Census tracts to this city.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Battle Creek?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3644.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 60% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is Battle Creek growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -686 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 8 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Battle Creek?
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Kentwood (54,114 residents, $73,647 income); Portage (49,015 residents, $79,529 income); Roseville (47,240 residents, $61,222 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Placentia, CA (52,384 residents); Kyle, TX (52,439 residents); Paramount, CA (52,546 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.
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Battle Creek?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Household income
$51,699
Home value
$127,600
Value / income
2.5×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for Battle Creek?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 22.1% 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.
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.
Matched public schools
4
Bachelor's degree+
22.1%
Poverty estimate
11.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What physical conditions frame life in Battle Creek?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 49.2°F, with 34.4 inches of precipitation and 64.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Michigan is 49.6 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
49.2°F
Annual precipitation
34.4 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
49.6
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Battle Creek?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.0%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.6 minutes.
Public transit
1.2%
Work from home
7.2%
Drive alone
77.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 22,922 workers age 16+.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
F
City profile score · Battle Creek, MI
30/100
5 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.
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.
Bachelor's+ share D
22.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$51,699
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
1,122 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Battle Creek profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 40/100 (D) · 22.1%
Poverty rate: 34/100 (F) · 11.5%
Household income: 23/100 (F) · $51,699
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 1,122 /100k
Where Battle Creek sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Battle Creek's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Battle Creek highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Battle Creek, MI (this city): home $127,600, crime 3,644/100k
Placentia, CA : home $871,000, crime 1,824/100k
Kyle, TX : home $302,200, crime 1,022/100k
Paramount, CA : home $500,400, crime 3,362/100k
Joplin, MO : home $159,700, crime 4,681/100k
Kentwood, MI : home $249,000, crime 2,570/100k
Portage, MI : home $243,400, crime 3,252/100k
Roseville, MI : home $142,700, crime 3,833/100k
Royal Oak, MI : home $305,900, crime 926/100k
St. Clair Shores, MI : home $196,400, crime 1,251/100k
East Lansing, MI : home $251,600, crime 1,440/100k
How does Battle Creek compare to other US cities?
Here's how Battle Creek stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income22% higher than other cities
Home value20% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
Safety10% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Michigan and the picture shifts: Battle Creek ranks #234 of 254 Michigan cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Battle Creek 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 Battle Creek near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Battle Creek ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Battle Creek only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#494 of 718
31st percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#430 of 721
40th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#253 of 727
65th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#311 of 727
57th 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.
Gauge source note
22nd percentile nationally for median household income · 10th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Battle Creek's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Battle Creek's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Battle Creek's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$127,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 80% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Battle Creek's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,836 of 15,516
More affordable than 75% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#28 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 2.5×, Battle Creek sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,836 of 15,516 and #28 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$51,699Battle Creek, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Battle Creek, 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 Battle Creek, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)22.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
52,392
Median Income
$51,699
Median Home Value
$127,600
Median Age
37.6
Poverty Rate
11.5%
Labor force participation
56.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3644.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
1121.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2522.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
49.2°F
Annual Precipitation
34.4"
Annual Snowfall
64.6"
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Battle Creek's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
52,707 residents
2021
52,519 residents
2022
52,236 residents
2023
52,222 residents
2024
52,174 residents
2025
52,021 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
8
housing units authorized
Single-Family
8
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
9
9
0
$2.8M
2020
10
10
0
$3.1M
2021
11
11
0
$3.4M
2022
13
11
2
$3.0M
2023
7
7
0
$1.6M
2024
8
8
0
$2.9M
Permit volume decreased 11% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.6 minutes
Drive Alone
77.0%
Carpool
10.9%
Public Transit
1.2%
Walk
2.3%
Work from Home
7.2%
Other
1.4%
Based on 22,922 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 Battle Creek. 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 Battle Creek 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 Battle Creek sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Battle Creek 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.