Population
East Lansing
45,394
Portage
37,951
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Portage
$72,833
Home Value
East Lansing
$251,600
Portage
$210,800
Rent
East Lansing
$1,122
Portage
$1,138
Crime Rate
East Lansing
2.20
Portage
2.35
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Portage
110.8
Avg Temp
East Lansing
N/A
Portage
N/A
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Portage
7.3%
How Similar Are East Lansing & Portage?
Portage is East Lansing's #4 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
East Lansing
45,394
Portage
37,951
East Lansing has a 16% larger population than Portage.
Violent Crime
East Lansing
2.20
Portage
2.35
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
East Lansing
12.20
Portage
11.09
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
East Lansing
53.5%
Portage
54.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
East Lansing
6.9%
Portage
7.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
East Lansing
$43,547
Portage
$72,833
Portage has a 40% higher median income than East Lansing.
Home Values
East Lansing
$251,600
Portage
$210,800
East Lansing has a 16% higher home values than Portage.
Education
East Lansing
21.5%
Portage
11.1%
East Lansing has a 48% higher education than Portage.
Demographics
East Lansing
73.8%
Portage
74.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
East Lansing
100.1
Portage
110.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. East Lansing and Portage share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
East Lansing
0
Portage
Cost of Living & Affordability — East Lansing leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDEast Lansing scores 63.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 111.3 in Portage. Portage scores 115.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 141.9 in East Lansing. East Lansing scores 83.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 105.7 in Portage.
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 — Portage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortage has a median property tax of $1,719 vs $5,540 in East Lansing (222% lower). Portage has a vacancy rate of 5.6% compared to 11.3% in East Lansing. Portage has a owner-occupied of 71.8% compared to 38.9% in East Lansing.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Portage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Portage has a poverty rate of 11.2% compared to 34.1% in East Lansing. Portage has a median household income of $72,833 vs $43,547 in East Lansing (40% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Portage leads
Source: FBI UCRPortage has a property crime clearance of 46.4% compared to 3.2% in East Lansing. Portage has a violent crime clearance of 74.7% compared to 23.4% in East Lansing. East Lansing has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.10 in Portage.
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 11.1% in Portage. Portage has a high school diploma or higher of 38.9% 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 ACSEast Lansing has a population of 45,394, about 1.2x the size of Portage (37,951). East Lansing skews younger with a median age of 21.3 vs 39.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
East Lansing
Portage
Healthcare — East Lansing leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEast Lansing: 2.5 vs Portage: 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 0.8% in Portage. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Portage has a drive alone of 86.8% 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.