What percentage of people rent in Grand Rapids, MI?

Name: Renters and owners in Grand Rapids, MI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

46.0% (±1.3 points) of the occupied homes in Grand Rapids, MI are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 36,871 renting households against 43,351 that own their home.

In Grand Rapids, the share of households that rent went from 44.6% in 2015–2019 to 46.0% in 2020–2024 (+1.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 46.0% (±1.3 points)
Renting households: 36,871 (±1,231)
Median renter income: $48,580 (±$2,712)

Who rents and who owns in Grand Rapids

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Grand Rapids	Kent County	Michigan	United States
Renter-occupied share	46.0% (±1.3 points)	29.7% (±0.7 points)	26.8% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	36,871 (±1,231)	76,166 (±1,766)	1,092,179 (±7,674)	45,017,354
Owning households	43,351 (±1,099)	180,482 (±1,769)	2,984,190 (±12,886)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.1 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$48,580 (±$2,712)	$50,123 (±$1,340)	$42,352 (±$376)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$91,349 (±$2,040)	$101,126 (±$1,625)	$87,130 (±$344)	$100,009

In Grand Rapids, the renter share is higher than in Kent County (29.7%).

It is also higher than in Michigan (26.8%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Kent County, Grand Rapids ranks 1 of 30 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 44 of 1,520.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Grand Rapids has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	44.6% (±0.8 points)	46.0% (±1.3 points)	+1.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$925 (±$12)	$1,266 (±$35)	+36.9%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$50,103 (±$1,114)	$69,108 (±$1,869)	+37.9%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Grand Rapids

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Grand Rapids
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Grand Rapids	—	46.0% (±1.3 points)	—
East Grand Rapids	2.7 mi	6.1% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Grand Rapids Charter Township	4.4 mi	14.9% (±3.7 points)	Lower
Wyoming	5.5 mi	32.9% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Walker	5.7 mi	34.8% (±3.2 points)	Lower
Comstock Park	5.8 mi	51.3% (±5.0 points)	Higher
Northview	6.0 mi	20.8% (±3.3 points)	Lower
Kentwood	6.2 mi	38.7% (±2.8 points)	Lower
Grandville	6.4 mi	32.9% (±3.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: East Grand Rapids, MI (6.1%), Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI (14.9%), Wyoming, MI (32.9%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Comstock Park, MI (51.3%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Kent County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Grand Rapids	46.0% (±1.3 points)
2	Cedar Springs	41.6% (±11.5 points)
3	Alpine Township	39.9% (±4.8 points)
4	Kentwood	38.7% (±2.8 points)
5	Walker	34.8% (±3.2 points)
6 (tie)	Grandville	32.9% (±3.9 points)
6 (tie)	Wyoming	32.9% (±2.1 points)

Showing 7 of 30 places in Kent County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Grand Rapids

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Questions about Grand Rapids

How many renters are there in Grand Rapids?

Grand Rapids has an estimated 36,871 (±1,231) renting households, 46.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Grand Rapids?

In Grand Rapids, the share of households that rent went from 44.6% in 2015–2019 to 46.0% in 2020–2024 (+1.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Grand Rapids?

A renting household in Grand Rapids has 2.1 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Grand Rapids?

The median renting household in Grand Rapids, MI has an income of $48,580 (±$2,712) a year, against $91,349 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Grand Rapids city, Michigan (place:34000, in state:26).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.