Dearborn vs Grand Rapids
The short version
- Grand Rapids is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Dearborn area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $218,800 in Dearborn and $244,500 in Grand Rapids.
- Households earn more in Grand Rapids ($69,108 vs $65,324 median).
- Grand Rapids gets far more snow: 78 inches a year vs 45.
- Grand Rapids is growing faster: +1.2% since 2020 vs -4%.
Side by side
| Dearborn, MI | Grand Rapids, MI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 105,611 | 201,183 |
| Growth since 2020 | -4% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 4,356 | 4,493 |
| Median age | 33.3 | 32.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,324 | $69,108 |
| Median home value | $218,800 | $244,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.3× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,327 | $1,266 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.3 | 95.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 94.7 | 86.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $71,700 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 4.25% | 4.25% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.7 | 19.0 |
| Work from home | 13% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 24.3% | 16.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 19° | 31° / 19° |
| July high / low | 84° / 64° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 45 in | 78 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 13 | 10 |
| Nights below freezing | 120 | 133 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.0 | 92.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 36% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.2% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.9% | +49.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Dearborn: May to October. Grand Rapids: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Dearborn weather by month and Grand Rapids weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,200 in Dearborn and $71,700 in Grand Rapids. Moving from Dearborn to Grand Rapids, you would need about $71,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Dearborn and Grand Rapids
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Dearborn and Grand Rapids.
Which would you pick?
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