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.

Down paymentRate%

Walker$2,150/mo

Typical home $359K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,202/mo · Housing →

Oak Park$1,490/mo

Typical home $235K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.34% · or rent about $1,396/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Walker and Oak Park.

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.

Report cards

Walker places higher on 17 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.

Safety

C−WalkerSafer than 23% of U.S. towns C−Oak ParkSafer than 23% of U.S. towns

Schools

AWalkerBetter than 86% of districts in the state DOak ParkBetter than 12% of districts in the state

Health

A−WalkerHealthier than 80% of U.S. towns B−Oak ParkHealthier than 51% of U.S. towns

17Walker

5Oak Park

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 723 towns #610#14 Most new homesHousing · 512 towns #86#491 Best schoolsSchools · 493 towns #99#459 Lowest obesityHealth · 723 towns #106#478 Most remote workersWork · 714 towns #367#40 Most conserved landOutdoors · 712 towns #135#448 Fastest growingGrowth · 723 towns #143#396 Most walkableOutdoors · 723 towns #260#17

Left end = #1 in Michigan. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Walker’s rankings →

Life in each

Walker gets 44 more inches of snow a year

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

WalkerOak Park

Snow a year75″31″

January low17°F 18°F

July high82°F 84°F

Growing season (days)157d 166d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th 26th

Outdoors & history

WalkerOak Park

Trails25 mi 2 mi

Conserved land9.9%2.8%

Settled1962 1927

Archive photos—5

Famous people born here1 9

Community

WalkerOak Park

Library hours a week55 hrs 49 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Where they are

136 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WalkerMI Oak ParkMI

Walker ↔ Oak Park136 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs Michigan average

WalkerOak Park

People

Population 25,386Lowest 29,318Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.8%Highest MI: +2% +0.8%Lowest MI: +2%

Median age 36.9±2.1Lowest 8% below MI 38.1±1.8Highest 5% below MI

Oak Park and Walker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.4%±2.2Highest MI: 21.2% 19.4%±2.4Lowest MI: 21.2%

Walker and Oak Park 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% 17.4%±2.2Lowest MI: 18.6%

Walker and Oak Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.6%Highest MI: 32.4% 37.1%Lowest MI: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±1.2Highest MI: 6.1% 5.3%±1.1Lowest MI: 6.1%

Walker and Oak Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $76,360±$5kHighest 5% above MI $71,510±$6kLowest about the MI average

Walker and Oak Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $295,200±$14kHighest 27% above MI $212,300±$8kLowest 8% below MI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,202±$40Lowest 6% above MI $1,396±$85Highest 24% above MI

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,698Lowest 7% below MI $2,839Highest about the MI average

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.4%±9.5Lowest MI: 50.4% 49.6%±6.7Highest MI: 50.4%

Oak Park 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% 12%Highest MI: 13.2%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.2%Highest MI: 73.2% 63.3%Lowest MI: 73.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 12 yrs newer than MI 1958Lowest 14 yrs older than MI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 17% below MI 23 minHighest 4% below MI

Work from home 10%±2.1Lowest MI: 13.5% 23.2%±3.7Highest MI: 13.5%

Work in townworking residents 10.8%Highest 3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 10.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.12Highest 0.60Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (28%)Detroit (18%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Oak ParkFew work in Walker

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.9%Highest 2.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 24.8 miHighest 2.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Highest 8Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 27.0Lowest 129Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #99 of 493 in MI #459 of 493 in MI

School district Grand Rapids Public Schools · Grandville Public SchoolsDetroit Service Learning Academy · Berkley School District

High school in town None in townOak Park High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 18.9

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.

Oak Park neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oak Park’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Walker and Oak Park

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Walker

+ Compare

Grand Rapids198,535 people · $245K homes

+ Compare

Grandville16,356 people · $271K homes

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Tallmadge Township9,027 people · $366K homes

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Alpine Township14,040 people · $234K homes

Towns like Walker

+ Compare

Delhi Township28,024 people · $234K homes

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Gaines Township29,469 people · $325K homes

+ Compare

Madison Heights28,419 people · $199K homes

+ Compare

Kalamazoo Township22,649 people · $180K homes

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.

Walker vs Oak Park

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Walker

Walker places higher on 17 of 22 MI lists

Walker gets 44 more inches of snow a year

136 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Walker and Oak Park

Bordering Walker

Towns like Walker

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