Population
East Lansing
45,394
Kent
27,190
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Kent
$42,524
Home Value
East Lansing
$251,600
Kent
$210,700
Rent
East Lansing
$1,122
Kent
$983
Crime Rate
East Lansing
2.20
Kent
1.27
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Kent
91.4
Avg Temp
East Lansing
N/A
Kent
N/A
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Kent
10.4%
How Similar Are East Lansing & Kent?
Kent is East Lansing's #5 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
East Lansing
45,394
Kent
27,190
East Lansing has a 40% larger population than Kent.
Violent Crime
East Lansing
2.20
Kent
1.27
East Lansing has a 42% higher violent crime than Kent.
Property Crime
East Lansing
12.20
Kent
12.72
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.
Political Leaning
East Lansing
53.5%
Kent
57.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Kent
10.4%
Kent has a 34% higher unemployment than East Lansing.
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Kent
$42,524
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
East Lansing
$251,600
Kent
$210,700
East Lansing has a 16% higher home values than Kent.
Education
East Lansing
21.5%
Kent
22.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
East Lansing
73.8%
Kent
80.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Kent
91.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Lansing and Kent share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
East Lansing
0
Kent
Kent leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Kent leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDKent scores 115.1 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 74.1 in Kent. Kent has a living wage (family of 4) of $95,018 vs $104,144 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 — Kent leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKent has a median property tax of $3,436 vs $5,540 in East Lansing (61% lower). East Lansing has a vacancy rate of 11.3% compared to 20.4% in Kent. East Lansing has a median home value of $251,600 vs $210,700 in Kent (19% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — East Lansing leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing: 23,173 vs Kent: 15,169 for labor force. Kent has a poverty rate of 24.8% compared to 34.1% in East Lansing. East Lansing has a unemployment rate of 6.9% compared to 10.4% in Kent.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Kent leads
Source: FBI UCRKent has a property crime clearance of 23.4% compared to 3.2% in East Lansing. Kent has a violent crime clearance of 100.0% compared to 23.4% in East Lansing. Kent has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.27 compared to 2.20 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 — Kent leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauKent has a high school diploma or higher of 34.4% compared to 25.4% in East Lansing. Kent has a bachelor's degree or higher of 22.3% 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 1.7x the size of Kent (27,190). East Lansing skews younger with a median age of 21.3 vs 24.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
East Lansing
Kent
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEast Lansing: 4 vs Kent: 2 for with emergency services. Kent: 4.0 vs East Lansing: 2.5 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 0.8% in Kent. East Lansing has a bicycle of 3.8% compared to 0.9% in Kent. Kent has a drive alone of 64.4% compared to 47.4% in East Lansing.
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.