Population
Grand Rapids
197,768
Lafayette
121,537
Median Income
Grand Rapids
$65,526
Lafayette
$61,454
Home Value
Grand Rapids
$225,500
Lafayette
$251,300
Rent
Grand Rapids
$1,191
Lafayette
$1,065
Crime Rate
Grand Rapids
9.10
Lafayette
10.66
Cost of Living
Grand Rapids
109.3
Lafayette
103.3
Avg Temp
Grand Rapids
N/A
Lafayette
N/A
Unemployment
Grand Rapids
5.0%
Lafayette
5.0%
How Similar Are Grand Rapids & Lafayette?
Lafayette is Grand Rapids's #22 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Grand Rapids
197,768
Lafayette
121,537
Grand Rapids has a 39% larger population than Lafayette.
Violent Crime
Grand Rapids
9.10
Lafayette
10.66
Lafayette has a 15% higher violent crime than Grand Rapids.
Property Crime
Grand Rapids
24.81
Lafayette
43.48
Lafayette has a 43% higher property crime than Grand Rapids.
Political Leaning
Grand Rapids
46.5%
Lafayette
64.8%
Grand Rapids leans Democratic while Lafayette leans Republican.
Unemployment
Grand Rapids
5.0%
Lafayette
5.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Grand Rapids
$65,526
Lafayette
$61,454
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Grand Rapids
$225,500
Lafayette
$251,300
Lafayette has a 10% higher home values than Grand Rapids.
Education
Grand Rapids
26.2%
Lafayette
27.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Grand Rapids
61.0%
Lafayette
59.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Grand Rapids
109.3
Lafayette
103.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Grand Rapids and Lafayette share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Grand Rapids
0
Lafayette
Grand Rapids leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lafayette leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLafayette has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,019 vs $1,531 in Grand Rapids (50% lower). Lafayette has a fair market rent (1br) of $898 vs $1,278 in Grand Rapids (42% lower). Lafayette scores 116.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 125.0 in Grand Rapids.
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 — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a median property tax of $1,455 vs $2,401 in Grand Rapids (65% lower). Grand Rapids has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 10.9% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a median rent of $1,065 vs $1,191 in Grand Rapids (12% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Grand Rapids leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrand Rapids: 109,811 vs Lafayette: 62,089 for labor force. Grand Rapids has a work from home of 12.3% compared to 9.5% in Lafayette. Grand Rapids has a government sector of 46.1% compared to 39.7% in Lafayette.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Grand Rapids leads
Source: FBI UCRLafayette has a property crime clearance of 16.8% compared to 5.3% in Grand Rapids. Lafayette has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.69 compared to 1.16 in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.67 compared to 6.61 in Lafayette.
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 — Lafayette leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 45.3% compared to 40.4% in Grand Rapids. Lafayette has a bachelor's degree or higher of 27.9% compared to 26.2% in Grand Rapids.
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 ACSGrand Rapids has a population of 197,768, about 1.6x the size of Lafayette (121,537). Grand Rapids skews younger with a median age of 32.1 vs 37.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Grand Rapids
Lafayette
Healthcare — Grand Rapids leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGrand Rapids: 4.3 vs Lafayette: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Grand Rapids leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrand Rapids has a public transit of 3.1% compared to 0.6% in Lafayette. Grand Rapids has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.5% in Lafayette. Grand Rapids has a work from home of 12.3% compared to 9.5% in Lafayette.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Grand Rapids, MI
Compare Grand Rapids 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.