Population
East Lansing
45,394
Ellensburg
18,913
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Ellensburg
$49,888
Home Value
East Lansing
$251,600
Ellensburg
$357,800
Rent
East Lansing
$1,122
Ellensburg
$1,258
Crime Rate
East Lansing
2.20
Ellensburg
2.27
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Ellensburg
109.8
Avg Temp
East Lansing
N/A
Ellensburg
N/A
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Ellensburg
7.6%
How Similar Are East Lansing & Ellensburg?
Ellensburg is East Lansing's #8 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
East Lansing
45,394
Ellensburg
18,913
East Lansing (45,394) is about 2.4x larger than Ellensburg (18,913).
Violent Crime
East Lansing
2.20
Ellensburg
2.27
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.
Property Crime
East Lansing
12.20
Ellensburg
21.82
Ellensburg has a 44% higher property crime than East Lansing.
Political Leaning
East Lansing
53.5%
Ellensburg
55.7%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 4% difference.
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Ellensburg
7.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Ellensburg
$49,888
Ellensburg has a 13% higher median income than East Lansing.
Home Values
East Lansing
$251,600
Ellensburg
$357,800
Ellensburg has a 30% higher home values than East Lansing.
Education
East Lansing
21.5%
Ellensburg
21.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
East Lansing
73.8%
Ellensburg
77.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Ellensburg
109.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Lansing and Ellensburg share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
East Lansing
0
Ellensburg
East Lansing leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — East Lansing leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDEast Lansing scores 63.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 76.3 in Ellensburg. East Lansing has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,268 vs $1,454 in Ellensburg (13% lower). East Lansing scores 100.1 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 109.8 in Ellensburg.
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 — Ellensburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEllensburg has a median property tax of $3,119 vs $5,540 in East Lansing (78% lower). Ellensburg has a vacancy rate of 6.5% compared to 11.3% in East Lansing. Ellensburg has a median home value of $357,800 vs $251,600 in East Lansing (30% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Ellensburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing: 23,173 vs Ellensburg: 10,836 for labor force. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 10.3% in Ellensburg. Ellensburg has a poverty rate of 21.0% 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 UCREllensburg has a property crime clearance of 32.3% compared to 3.2% in East Lansing. East Lansing has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.63 compared to 2.44 in Ellensburg. Ellensburg has a violent crime clearance of 76.2% compared to 23.4% in East Lansing.
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 — Ellensburg leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauEllensburg has a high school diploma or higher of 33.8% compared to 25.4% in East Lansing. Ellensburg has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.9% compared to 21.5% 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 ACSEast Lansing has a population of 45,394, about 2.4x the size of Ellensburg (18,913). East Lansing skews younger with a median age of 21.3 vs 26.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
East Lansing
Ellensburg
Healthcare — East Lansing leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEast Lansing: 2.5 vs Ellensburg: 1.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). East Lansing: 5 vs Ellensburg: 4 for nearby hospitals.
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 0.6% in Ellensburg. East Lansing has a bicycle of 3.8% compared to 1.7% in Ellensburg. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 10.3% in Ellensburg.
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.