Grand Rapids rated highest in resident satisfaction and lowest in walkability. It was above average in commute, real estate confidence and educational opportunity. Cities with similar rankings included Rochester, Virginia Beach and Washington.
Overall
#2
Category
Ranking
Healthy Living help
clearTo what degree does your local community promote living a healthy lifestyle?
#12
Commute help
clearHow would you rate your daily commute? How would you grade the quality of the public transportation systems where you live?
#2
Climate help
clearHow positively or negatively does the local weather and climate where you live impact your everyday life? To what degree are worried about the negative impact of natural disasters where you live (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)?
#13
Educational Opportunity help
clearHow accessible are higher education opportunities (technical school, community college, university, etc.) for people in your local community?
#6
Economic Opportunity help
clearHow confident are you in the local economy to provide jobs and continued opportunities to you and your neighbors?
#13
Resident Satisfaction help
clearDo you regret buying a home where you live? Would you recommend a friend to live where you live?
#1
Walkability help
clearHow walkable or unwalkable are amenities like shopping, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, gyms, recreational facilities, nightlife etc. from where you live?
#49
Security & Safety help
clearDo you feel safe in your home? To what degree are you concerned with crime in your neighborhood since you’ve lived in your home? How much confidence do you have in the local police to protect you and your neighbors from crime?
#18
Real Estate Confidence help
clearTo what degree do you expect real estate prices to increase or decrease where you live over the next five years?
#3
Tax Fairness help
clearHow fair or unfair do you feel tax rates are where you live?
#22
How Grand Rapids scored in each category
  • Grand Rapids
  • National Average

Grand Rapids Ranked #2 Best Place To Own A Home In America

Grand Rapids is small enough to have a hometown feel, yet large enough to have a vibrant downtown community. The real estate market also hasn’t experienced extreme lows like other cities.

Kent Selders
Redfin Agent
Grand Rapids
How we collected the data

The Best Place To Own A Home In America survey polled a representative sample of 10,007 US homeowners across a variety of dimensions including safety, climate, commute times, access to education, taxes, real estate trends and more to gauge homeowners’ sentiment about the cities and communities where they live. Additionally, we partnered with Redfin real estate agents to garner local knowledge about some of thecities discussed in the results. The survey was conducted in July and August of 2015. Copies of the full methodology report are available upon request. Please email Porch’s Senior Vice President & Head of Communications, Craig Cincotta, at craig@porch.com for a copy of the report.

Commute
clearHow would you rate your daily commute? How would you grade the quality of the public transportation systems where you live?
Tax Fairness
clearHow fair or unfair do you feel tax rates are where you live?
Walkability
clearHow walkable or unwalkable are amenities like shopping, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, gyms, recreational facilities, nightlife etc. from where you live?
Healthy Living
clearTo what degree does your local community promote living a healthy lifestyle?
Climate
clearHow positively or negatively does the local weather and climate where you live impact your everyday life? To what degree are worried about the negative impact of natural disasters where you live (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)?
Real Estate Confidence
clearTo what degree do you expect real estate prices to increase or decrease where you live over the next five years?
Educational Opportunity
clearHow accessible are higher education opportunities (technical school, community college, university, etc.) for people in your local community?
Resident Satisfaction
clearDo you regret buying a home where you live? Would you recommend a friend to live where you live?
Economic Opportunity
clearHow confident are you in the local economy to provide jobs and continued opportunities to you and your neighbors?
Security & Safety
clearDo you feel safe in your home? To what degree are you concerned with crime in your neighborhood since you’ve lived in your home? How much confidence do you have in the local police to protect you and your neighbors from crime?
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