Population
East Lansing
45,394
Bowling Green
73,638
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Bowling Green
$48,419
Home Value
East Lansing
$251,600
Bowling Green
$232,100
Rent
East Lansing
$1,122
Bowling Green
$948
Crime Rate
East Lansing
2.20
Bowling Green
2.25
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Bowling Green
91.6
Avg Temp
East Lansing
N/A
Bowling Green
N/A
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Bowling Green
5.1%
How Similar Are East Lansing & Bowling Green?
Bowling Green is East Lansing's #23 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
East Lansing
45,394
Bowling Green
73,638
Bowling Green has a 38% larger population than East Lansing.
Violent Crime
East Lansing
2.20
Bowling Green
2.25
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
East Lansing
12.20
Bowling Green
29.29
Bowling Green's property crime is significantly higher than East Lansing's — 58% difference.
Political Leaning
East Lansing
53.5%
Bowling Green
61.3%
Both cities lean Republican, but Bowling Green has a stronger Republican lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Bowling Green
5.1%
East Lansing has a 25% higher unemployment than Bowling Green.
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Bowling Green
$48,419
Bowling Green has a 10% higher median income than East Lansing.
Home Values
East Lansing
$251,600
Bowling Green
$232,100
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
East Lansing
21.5%
Bowling Green
17.6%
East Lansing has a 18% higher education than Bowling Green.
Demographics
East Lansing
73.8%
Bowling Green
67.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Bowling Green
91.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Lansing and Bowling Green share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
East Lansing
0
Bowling Green
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bowling Green leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBowling Green scores 106.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 141.9 in East Lansing. East Lansing scores 63.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.0 in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $1,268 in East Lansing (10% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Bowling Green leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBowling Green has a median property tax of $1,659 vs $5,540 in East Lansing (234% lower). Bowling Green has a vacancy rate of 9.3% compared to 11.3% in East Lansing. Bowling Green has a median rent of $948 vs $1,122 in East Lansing (18% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bowling Green leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 5.2% in Bowling Green. Bowling Green: 39,086 vs East Lansing: 23,173 for labor force. Bowling Green has a poverty rate of 25.4% compared to 34.1% in East Lansing.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — East Lansing leads
Source: FBI UCRBowling Green has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.04 in East Lansing. Bowling Green has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.88 compared to 1.64 in East Lansing. East Lansing has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.63 compared to 3.41 in Bowling Green.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauEast Lansing has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.5% compared to 17.6% in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a high school diploma or higher of 31.5% compared to 25.4% in East Lansing.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBowling Green has a population of 73,638, about 1.6x the size of East Lansing (45,394). East Lansing skews younger with a median age of 21.3 vs 27.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
East Lansing
Bowling Green
Healthcare — East Lansing leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEast Lansing: 2.5 vs Bowling Green: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — East Lansing leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing has a public transit of 5.9% compared to 0.3% in Bowling Green. East Lansing has a bicycle of 3.8% compared to 0.3% in Bowling Green. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 5.2% in Bowling Green.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to East Lansing, MI
Compare East Lansing against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.