East Lansing, MI

Census Place

2024 Population

45,758

US Senator

Gary Peters

Democratic Party

US Senator

Elissa Slotkin

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

33%

3.29% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$45,687

4.91% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$270,800

7.63% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

21,503

Population & Diversity

East Lansing, MI is home to a population of 45.8k people, from which 92.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 11.3% of East Lansing, MI residents were born outside of the country (5.19k people).

In 2024, there were 8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (32.7k people) in East Lansing, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.09k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 3.46k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.5%

2024 Citizenship

92.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.5% of East Lansing, MI residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in East Lansing, MI was 92.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in East Lansing, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in East Lansing, MI

White (Non-Hispanic)
32.7k ± 787
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
4.09k ± 536
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.46k ± 598

6.57%

Hispanic Population

3.01k people

6.57% of the people in East Lansing, MI are hispanic (3.01k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in East Lansing, MI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Michigan.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
83,098 ± 7,048 people
India
80,532 ± 6,939 people
Iraq
55,181 ± 5,751 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Michigan was Mexico, the natal country of 83,098 Michigan residents, followed by India with 80,532 and Iraq with 55,181.

Foreign-Born Population

11.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.19k people

10.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.79k people

As of 2024, 11.3% of East Lansing, MI residents (5.19k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in East Lansing, MI was 10.5%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in East Lansing, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
262 ± 129
Korea
235 ± 201
Gulf War (2001-)
139 ± 96

East Lansing, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in East Lansing, MI.

Economy

The economy of East Lansing, MI employs 21.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in East Lansing, MI were Educational Services (7,273 people), Accommodation & Food Services (2,274 people), and Retail Trade (2,063 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($61,522), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($58,065), and Finance & Insurance ($44,167).

Employment

Occupations

21.5k

2024 Value

± 1,237

−0.172%

1 Year decline

± 7.75%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in East Lansing, MI declined at a rate of −0.172%, from 21.5k employees to 21.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in East Lansing, MI, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (3,433 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,614 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,049 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of East Lansing, MI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Michigan (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

21.5k

2024 Value

± 1,237

−0.172%

1 Year decline

± 7.75%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in East Lansing, MI declined at a rate of −0.172%, from 21.5k employees to 21.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in East Lansing, MI, are Educational Services (7,273 people), Accommodation & Food Services (2,274 people), and Retail Trade (2,063 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of East Lansing, MI, though some of these residents may live in East Lansing, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$25,450

Median earning men ± $3,775

$11,714

Median earning women ± $1,190

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($91,667), Public Administration ($77,841), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($52,324), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($30,238), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($24,558).

Education

The student population of East Lansing, MI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 24,507 male students and 28,359 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in East Lansing, MI are White (9,441 and 73.5%), Asian (942 and 7.33%), Black or African American (887 and 6.91%), and Hispanic or Latino (765 and 5.96%).

The largest universities in East Lansing, MI by number of degrees awarded are Michigan State University (13,017 and 93.8%) and Douglas J Aveda Institute (857 and 6.18%).

The most popular majors in East Lansing, MI are General Biological Sciences (597 and 4.3%), General Psychology (587 and 4.23%), and Advertising (471 and 3.39%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $17,739 for in-state students and $44,510 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in East Lansing, MI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 84.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 18.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 52,866 (46.4% men and 53.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 52,866 students enrolled in East Lansing, MI, 46.4% men and 53.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 33,929 records, of which 54.6% were women and 45.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Biological Sciences
592 degrees awarded
General Psychology
565 degrees awarded
Advertising
456 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in East Lansing, MI was General Biological Sciences with 592 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in East Lansing, MI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Michigan State University
13,017 degrees awarded
Douglas J Aveda Institute
857 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Michigan State University with 13,017 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 5,833 men were awarded degrees from institutions in East Lansing, MI, which is 0.725 times less than the 8,041 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 9,441 degrees mean that there were 10 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 942 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($17,739) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($340) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,334) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in East Lansing, MI was $270,800 in 2024, which is 0.814 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $251,600 to $270,800, a 7.63% increase. The homeownership rate in East Lansing, MI is 38.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in East Lansing, MI have an average commute time of 16.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in East Lansing, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$270,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,030

$5,339

Median Property Taxes

±$485

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In East Lansing, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in East Lansing, MI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

38.5%

Homeownership

2024

62.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 38.5% of the housing units in East Lansing, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 38.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in East Lansing, MI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$45,687

Median Household Income

± $3,696

13.9k

Number of Households

± 970

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.9k households in East Lansing, MI grew to $45,687 from the previous year's value of $43,547.

The following chart displays the households in East Lansing, MI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for East Lansing, MI is from Michigan.

0.46

2024 Wage GINI in Michigan

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Michigan

In 2024, the income inequality in Michigan was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.474% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Michigan was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Michigan in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Michigan across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (47.7%)
Worked At Home (21%)
Walked (16.6%)

In 2024, 47.7% of workers in East Lansing, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (21%) and those who walked to work (16.6%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

16.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in East Lansing, MI have a shorter commute time (16.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.441% of the workforce in East Lansing, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in East Lansing, MI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in East Lansing, MI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in East Lansing, MI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

33% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in East Lansing, MI (10k out of 30.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in East Lansing, MI is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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