Population
Kalamazoo
73,132
Lafayette
70,650
Median Income
Kalamazoo
$48,965
Lafayette
$52,946
Home Value
Kalamazoo
$164,500
Lafayette
$157,600
Rent
Kalamazoo
$1,031
Lafayette
$1,039
Crime Rate
Kalamazoo
5.14
Lafayette
6.00
Cost of Living
Kalamazoo
91.2
Lafayette
90.4
Avg Temp
Kalamazoo
N/A
Lafayette
N/A
Unemployment
Kalamazoo
6.9%
Lafayette
3.3%
How Similar Are Kalamazoo & Lafayette?
Lafayette is Kalamazoo's #8 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Kalamazoo
73,132
Lafayette
70,650
Both cities have similar populations — Kalamazoo at 73,132 and Lafayette at 70,650.
Violent Crime
Kalamazoo
5.14
Lafayette
6.00
Lafayette has a 14% higher violent crime than Kalamazoo.
Property Crime
Kalamazoo
28.60
Lafayette
20.43
Kalamazoo has a 29% higher property crime than Lafayette.
Political Leaning
Kalamazoo
40.3%
Lafayette
49.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Lafayette has a stronger Democratic lean (18% difference).
Unemployment
Kalamazoo
6.9%
Lafayette
3.3%
Kalamazoo's unemployment is significantly higher than Lafayette's — 52% difference.
Median Income
Kalamazoo
$48,965
Lafayette
$52,946
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Kalamazoo
$164,500
Lafayette
$157,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Kalamazoo
19.8%
Lafayette
18.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Kalamazoo
62.9%
Lafayette
76.5%
Lafayette has a 18% higher demographics than Kalamazoo.
Cost of Living
Kalamazoo
91.2
Lafayette
90.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Kalamazoo and Lafayette share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Kalamazoo
0
Lafayette
Lafayette leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Kalamazoo leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLafayette scores 96.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 106.8 in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo scores 74.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 80.9 in Lafayette. Kalamazoo has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,162 vs $1,242 in Lafayette (6% 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 — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a median property tax of $1,038 vs $2,754 in Kalamazoo (165% lower). Lafayette has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 9.2% in Kalamazoo. Lafayette has a single-family homes of 60.6% compared to 53.7% in Kalamazoo.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a unemployment rate of 3.3% compared to 6.9% in Kalamazoo. Lafayette has a poverty rate of 17.1% compared to 27.0% in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a work from home of 8.9% compared to 7.5% 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 — Lafayette leads
Source: FBI UCRLafayette has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.53 compared to 3.50 in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.07 in Lafayette. Lafayette has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.45 compared to 0.78 in Kalamazoo.
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 BureauLafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 40.6% compared to 32.0% in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.8% compared to 18.4% in Lafayette.
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 ACSKalamazoo has a population of 73,132, about 1x the size of Lafayette (70,650). Kalamazoo skews younger with a median age of 26.8 vs 33.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Kalamazoo
Lafayette
Healthcare — Kalamazoo leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareKalamazoo: 4 vs Lafayette: 3 for with emergency services. Kalamazoo: 3.7 vs Lafayette: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKalamazoo has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.2% in Lafayette. Kalamazoo has a work from home of 8.9% compared to 7.5% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a public transit of 2.5% compared to 2.2% in Kalamazoo.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Kalamazoo, MI
Compare Kalamazoo 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.