Kent County, MI

County

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    2024 Population
    663,150
    US Senator
    Gary Peters
    Democratic Party
    US Senator
    Elissa Slotkin
    Democratic Party
    2024 Median Age
    35.9
    0.56% 1-year increase
    2024 Poverty Rate
    10.1%
    4.86% 1-year decrease
    2024 Median Household Income
    $82,631
    2.79% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $289,900
    9.11% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    346,230
    0.703% 1-year growth

    About

    None of the households in Kent County, MI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

    95% of the residents in Kent County, MI are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Kent County, MI are Grand Rapids Community College (2,109 degrees awarded in 2024), Davenport University (1,263 degrees), and Calvin University (934 degrees).

    In 2024, the median property value in Kent County, MI was $289,900, and the homeownership rate was 70.3%.

    Most people in Kent County, MI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Kent County, MI was 2 cars per household.

    About the photo: Fisk Knob, Highest elevation in Kent County, Michigan
    Photo by Bailiwick Studios
    United StatesMichiganGrand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

    Population & Diversity

    Kent County, MI is home to a population of 663k people, from which 95% are citizens. As of 2024, 8.68% of Kent County, MI residents were born outside of the country (57.6k people).

    In 2024, there were 7.46 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (467k people) in Kent County, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 62.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 34.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    95%
    2024 Citizenship
    95.2%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 95% of Kent County, MI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kent County, MI was 95.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kent County, MI
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      467k ± 1.5k
    2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
      62.6k ± 1.64k
    3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
      34.7k ± 2.22k
    11.7%
    Hispanic Population
    77.3k people

    In 2024, there were 7.46 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (467k people) in Kent County, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 62.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 34.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    11.7% of the people in Kent County, MI are hispanic (77.3k people).

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

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Michigan.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      83,098 ± 7,048 people
    2. India
      80,532 ± 6,939 people
    3. 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.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    8.68%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    57.6k people
    8.4%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    55.3k people

    As of 2024, 8.68% of Kent County, MI residents (57.6k 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 Kent County, MI was 8.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      8,812 ± 685
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      5,258 ± 688
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      3,416 ± 551

    Kent County, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.68 times greater than any other conflict.

    The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Kent County, MI.

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    Health

    95.2% of the population of Kent County, MI has health coverage, with 57.5% on employee plans, 14.6% on Medicaid, 11.9% on Medicare, 10.5% on non-group plans, and 0.65% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Kent County, MI see 1,068 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,068 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1255 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 192 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

    Coverage

    Patient to Clinician Ratios

    1,068 to 1
    Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Kent County, MI

    Primary care physicians in Kent County, MI see an average of 1,068 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,068 patients).

    The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Kent County, MI in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25% under 18 years, 23.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.6% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

    The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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    Uninsured People

    4.83%
    Uninsured
    57.5%
    Employer Coverage
    14.6%
    Medicaid
    11.9%
    Medicare
    10.5%
    Non-Group
    0.65%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kent County, MI declined by 0.627% from 4.86% to 4.83%.

    The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Kent County, MI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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    Health Indicators

    Health Outcomes

    Indicator

    In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 5.3 in Kent County, MI.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Kent County, MI.

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    Health Behaviors

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 33.5% in Kent County, MI.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Kent County, MI.

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    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 5.47% in Kent County, MI.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Kent County, MI.

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    Economy

    The economy of Kent County, MI employs 346k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kent County, MI were Manufacturing (62,218 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (53,863 people), and Retail Trade (38,228 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($102,957), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($95,469), and Utilities ($84,967).

    Employment

    Occupations

    346k
    2024 Value
    ± 5,107
    0.703%
    1 Year growth
    ± 2.04%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kent County, MI grew at a rate of 0.703%, from 344k employees to 346k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kent County, MI, are Management Occupations (37,260 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (36,136 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (30,996 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kent County, MI.

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    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.

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    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    346k
    2024 Value
    ± 5,107
    0.703%
    1 Year growth
    ± 2.04%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kent County, MI grew at a rate of 0.703%, from 344k employees to 346k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kent County, MI, are Manufacturing (62,218 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (53,863 people), and Retail Trade (38,228 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kent County, MI, though some of these residents may live in Kent County, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $57,539
    Median earning men ± $1,233
    $40,926
    Median earning women ± $679

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($77,699), Wholesale Trade ($73,080), and Public Administration ($72,537).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($63,381), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($57,308), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($49,293).

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    Employment by Industry Sector

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.
    Y-Axis
    2.16%
    Year-over-year growth
    Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

    As of February 2023, there are 4.37M people employed in Michigan. This represents a 2.16% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

    Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 23.6%.

    The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Michigan.

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    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 1,192
      Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
    2. 929
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    3. 925
      Construction

    The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

    The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $4.15M
      Manufacturing
    2. $3.39M
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    3. $2.14M
      Wholesale Trade

    The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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    Civics

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

    Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing the state of Michigan. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    Michigan is currently represented by 13 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

    Presidential Elections

    Voting results are not available for Kent County, MI. Showing the available data for Michigan.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Donald J. Trump (49.7%)
      Republican Party
    2. Kamala Harris (48.3%)
      Democratic Party
    3. Jill Stein (0.788%)
      Green Party

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

    The following chart shows the popular vote results in Michigan for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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    Senator Elections

    US Senators from Michigan

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.
    Gary Peters
    Senator from Michigan2
    Assumed office on January 3, 2015
    Elissa Slotkin
    Senator from Michigan1
    Assumed office on January 3, 2025

    Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing Michigan.

    In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    The following chart shows elected senators in Michigan over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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    Education

    In 2024, universities in Kent County, MI awarded 5,986 degrees. The student population of Kent County, MI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 11,379 male students and 14,992 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Kent County, MI are White (3,826 and 66.1%), Hispanic or Latino (602 and 10.4%), Black or African American (517 and 8.94%), and Unknown (400 and 6.91%).

    The largest universities in Kent County, MI by number of degrees awarded are Grand Rapids Community College (2,109 and 35.2%), Davenport University (1,263 and 21.1%), and Calvin University (934 and 15.6%).

    The most popular majors in Kent County, MI are Liberal Arts & Sciences (714 and 11.9%), General Business Administration & Management (443 and 7.4%), and Registered Nursing (315 and 5.26%).

    The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $25,518.

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

    University
    Measure

    In 2024 in Kent County, MI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 83.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 26,371 (43.1% men and 56.9% 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.

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    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    Universities

    In 2024 there were 26,371 students enrolled in Kent County, MI, 43.1% men and 56.9% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 15,709 records, of which 55.7% were women and 44.3% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. General Business Administration & Management
      248 degrees awarded
    2. Registered Nursing
      228 degrees awarded
    3. General Psychology
      103 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Kent County, MI was General Business Administration & Management with 248 degrees awarded.

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

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1. Grand Rapids Community College
      2,109 degrees awarded
    2. Davenport University
      1,263 degrees awarded
    3. Calvin University
      934 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Grand Rapids Community College with 2,109 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    University

    In 2024, 2,410 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Kent County, MI, which is 0.674 times less than the 3,576 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 3,826 degrees mean that there were 6.36 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 602 degrees awarded.

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    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.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Universities

    Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($25,518) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,045) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($952) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Kent County, MI was $289,900 in 2024, which is 0.871 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $265,700 to $289,900, a 9.11% increase. The homeownership rate in Kent County, MI is 70.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Kent County, MI have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kent County, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    In 2025, 12.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kent County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.62%.

    Housing

    Property

    $289,900
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$2,942
    $180,482
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$3,030

    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 Kent County, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

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    Rent vs Own

    70.3%
    Homeownership
    2024
    67%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 70.3% of the housing units in Kent County, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 70.4%.

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

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $82,631
    Median Household Income
    ± $1,165
    257k
    Number of Households
    ± 3,881

    In 2024, the median household income of the 257k households in Kent County, MI grew to $82,631 from the previous year's value of $80,390.

    The following chart displays the households in Kent County, 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 $75k - $100k range.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Kent County, 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.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (73.2%)
    2. Worked At Home (14.3%)
    3. Carpooled (7.77%)

    In 2024, 73.2% of workers in Kent County, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.3%) and those who carpooled to work (7.77%).

    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.

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    Commute Time

    21 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Kent County, MI have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.42% of the workforce in Kent County, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

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

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    Poverty

    Severe Housing Problems

    In 2025, 12.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kent County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.62%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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    Poverty & Diversity

    10.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kent County, MI (65.6k out of 653k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kent County, MI is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

    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.

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    Children in Poverty

    In 2025, 13% of the children was living in poverty in Kent County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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    Security

    Crimes & Accidents

    Indicator

    In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 373 in Kent County, MI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 44.2% per 100,000 population.

    The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

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