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Walker vs Grand Rapids

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (7.8× in Grand Rapids) and street grid (3.7× in Grand Rapids).

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Walker, MIHomes around $359KMichigan · 25,386 people
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Grand Rapids, MIA history townMichigan · 198,535 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Walker places higher on 14 of 22 MI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $280 more a month in Walker

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Walker$2,150/mo
Typical home $359K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,202/mo · Housing →
Grand Rapids$1,870/mo
Typical home $307K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $1,266/mo · Housing →

The difference: $280 a month, about $3,400 a year, between Walker and Grand Rapids.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Walker and Grand Rapids share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

WalkerGrand RapidsWalkerGrand Rapids
Walker ↔ Grand Rapids5.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
3,616 Grand Rapids residents work in Walker (4.4% of its workers)
3,117 Walker residents work in Grand Rapids (27.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Grand Rapids →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
WalkerGrand Rapids
Snow a year75″75″
January low17°F17°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)157d157d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th43rd
Outdoors & history
WalkerGrand Rapids
Conserved land9.9%6.3%
Settled19621826
National Register places—47
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here153
Community
WalkerGrand Rapids
Library hours a week55 hrs69 hrs
Colleges in town—5
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

WalkerGrand Rapids
People
Population 25,386Lowest 198,535Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.8%Highest MI: +2% +5.8%Lowest MI: +2%
Median age 36.9±2.1Highest 8% below MI 32.3±0.3Lowest 20% below MI
Kids under 18 20.4%±2.2Lowest MI: 21.2% 21%±0.7Highest MI: 21.2%
Grand Rapids and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.3%±2.2Highest MI: 18.6% 12.9%±0.6Lowest MI: 18.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.6%Lowest MI: 32.4% 41.6%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±1.2Lowest MI: 6.1% 8%±0.5Highest MI: 6.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $76,360±$5kHighest 5% above MI $69,108±$2kLowest 5% below MI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $295,200±$14kHighest 27% above MI $244,500±$3kLowest 6% above MI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,202±$40Lowest 6% above MI $1,266±$35Highest 12% above MI
Grand Rapids and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,698Highest 7% below MI $2,493Lowest 14% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.4%±9.5Lowest MI: 50.4% 49.1%±2.9Highest MI: 50.4%
Grand Rapids and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.6%Lowest MI: 13.2% 16.9%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.2%Highest MI: 73.2% 54%Lowest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 12 yrs newer than MI 1953Lowest 19 yrs older than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 17% below MI 19 minLowest 21% below MI
Work from home 10%±2.1Lowest MI: 13.5% 13.9%±0.8Highest MI: 13.5%
Work in townworking residents 10.8%Lowest 33.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 6.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.12Highest 1.56Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (28%)Kentwood (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 28% work in Grand Rapids4% work in Walker
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.9%Highest 6.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 24.8 miLowest 43.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 mi 1.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 76Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 27.0Lowest 99.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #99 of 493 in MI#442 of 493 in MI
School district Grand Rapids Public Schools · Grandville Public SchoolsWilliam C. Abney Academy · Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center
High school in town None in townCity High Middle School
Students per teacherat that high school — 22.1
Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Walker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Walker’s Town Square.

Grand Rapids neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Grand Rapids’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Walker

Towns like Walker

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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