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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-KENTWOOD-MI · Kentwood, MI 54,114 pop · income 54th pct
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 Kentwood
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Kentwood on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Pontiac · lowest
42,791
Pontiac · lowest
42,791 median HH income
44.9% of the leader · rank #1
Paradise Park · near
73,640
Paradise Park · near
73,640 median HH income
77.3% of the leader · rank #2
Ladd · near
73,646
Ladd · near
73,646 median HH income
77.3% of the leader · rank #3
Kentwood · this city
73,647
Kentwood · this city
73,647 median HH income
77.3% of the leader · rank #4
Temelec · near
73,654
Temelec · near
73,654 median HH income
77.3% of the leader · rank #5
Kenwood Estat… · near
73,654
Kenwood Estat… · near
73,654 median HH income
77.3% of the leader · rank #6
Peabody · highest
95,278
Peabody · highest
95,278 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 Kentwood 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: 54,114.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Kentwood - the verdict
Kentwood ranks in the 54th percentile for household income and the 21st percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
54th
percentile, household income
56th
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
21st
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: Kentwood, MI
Michigan's Kentwood is a small city, with 54,114 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Kentwood brings in $73,647 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.2%. Home values in Kentwood run a median of $249,000, and the median resident age is 34.7 years. 35.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 67.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 100 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Growing), up 19% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2570.0 in FBI UCR data, near the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,113 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Michigan's average monthly utility costs around $238 (state average). Workers in Kentwood report an average commute of 17.7 minutes, with 79.0% driving alone and 10.9% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 49.6 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Kentwood'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 housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Kentwood, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Kentwood?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.2%, 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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
What does the journey to work look like in Kentwood?
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 79.0%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.7 minutes.
Which cities make useful reference points for Kentwood?
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Battle Creek (52,392 residents, $51,699 income); Royal Oak (57,880 residents, $95,182 income); St. Clair Shores (58,287 residents, $72,693 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Texas City, TX (54,159 residents); Rocky Mount, NC (54,175 residents); Peabody, MA (54,180 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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Kentwood?
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 2570.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 13% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Population change
Is Kentwood growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +489 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 100 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+0.9%
2025 estimate
54,776
2020 estimate
54,287
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 6.2% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.2 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
C-
City profile score · Kentwood, MI
51/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B-
35.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C
6.2%
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 C-
$73,647
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
388 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Kentwood profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 67/100 (B-) · 35.1%
Poverty rate: 58/100 (C) · 6.2%
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Household income: 53/100 (C-) · $73,647
Violent crime: 23/100 (F) · 388 /100k
Where Kentwood sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Kentwood'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 - Kentwood highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Kentwood, MI (this city): home $249,000, crime 2,570/100k
Texas City, TX : home $190,600, crime 2,555/100k
Rocky Mount, NC : home $148,300, crime 4,745/100k
Peabody, MA : home $566,200, crime 1,092/100k
Logan, UT : home $341,000, crime 1,268/100k
Battle Creek, MI : home $127,600, crime 3,644/100k
Royal Oak, MI : home $305,900, crime 926/100k
St. Clair Shores, MI : home $196,400, crime 1,251/100k
Portage, MI : home $243,400, crime 3,252/100k
Roseville, MI : home $142,700, crime 3,833/100k
Pontiac, MI : home $110,600, crime 2,626/100k
How does Kentwood compare to other US cities?
Here's how Kentwood stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income54% higher than other cities
Home value56% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
Safety21% 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: Kentwood ranks #211 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 Kentwood 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 Kentwood near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Kentwood ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Kentwood only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#191 of 718
73rd percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#130 of 721
82nd percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#431 of 727
40th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#157 of 727
78th 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
54th percentile nationally for median household income · 21st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Kentwood's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Kentwood'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 Kentwood's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$249,00044th percentilemore affordable than 44% 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
Kentwood's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,496 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#186 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 3.4×, Kentwood sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,496 of 15,516 and #186 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
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
$73,647Kentwood, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Kentwood, 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 Kentwood, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
54,114
Median Income
$73,647
Median Home Value
$249,000
Median Age
34.7
Poverty Rate
6.2%
Labor force participation
67.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2570.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
387.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2182.2
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.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Kentwood's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
54,287 residents
2021
54,218 residents
2022
54,104 residents
2023
54,152 residents
2024
54,563 residents
2025
54,776 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Growing
Total Permits (2024)
100
housing units authorized
Single-Family
100
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
84
82
2
$17.5M
2020
73
73
0
$14.2M
2021
110
110
0
$24.0M
2022
99
99
0
$23.8M
2023
108
104
4
$24.9M
2024
100
100
0
$24.5M
Permit volume increased 19% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.7 minutes
Drive Alone
79.0%
Carpool
7.0%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
10.9%
Other
1.4%
Based on 27,412 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 Kentwood. 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 Kentwood 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 Kentwood sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Kentwood 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, 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.