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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.79° N · 85.52° W · GEOID 2612480

Caledonia

Kent County, Michigan · part of the Grand Rapids, MI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MichiganCaledonia, MICaledoniaCaledonia

The short answer

Caledonia is home to 1,671 people. Median household income is $106,250 a year and median rent is $1,128 a month, 12.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $339,000, about 3.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,128
17% below the median place
Median household income
$106,250
32% above the median place
Median home value
$339,000
6% above the median place
Unemployment
4.2%
15% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Caledonia

  • The median rent takes only 12.7% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 93% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 93% of places its size.
  • The population has grown 10.2% since 2020, faster than in 84% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 152 Michigan places.
  • 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 84% of places its size.
  • Public schools here have 17.8 students per teacher, more than in 83% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Caledonia

Kent County loses about 3.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in23,291
Moved out24,962
Net−1,671

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Michigan, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MichiganOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$62K
Leavers$68K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Kent County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Kent County report $61,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,500, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$45,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,128 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,771 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $339,000.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 14.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Rockford, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.3%
26% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.9%
2% below the median place
Income of households moving in8
$61,700
13% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.3%26% below
Moved from another state11.9%2% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-3.0400% below
Income of households moving in8County figure$61,70013% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$68,4623% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 12.7%, 38% below the median place.

Caledonia12.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$45,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
12.7%
38% below the median place
Home price to income
3.2x
16% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$94,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Caledonia, $1,128 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Caledonia.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Caledonia? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
44.9%
11% below the median place
Median year built1
1988
1% above the median place
Property tax rate1
1.3%
43% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,12817% below
Rent to income112.7%38% below
Property tax rate11.3%43% above
Home price to income13.2x16% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.55% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6301% above
HUD area median income4County figure$106,6001% below
Property tax paid (median)1$4,41135% above
Median home value1$339,0006% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.5%40% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure60.2%17% above
Homeownership173.7%11% above
Renters paying 30%+144.9%11% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7715% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.6%34% below
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
3.8%
65% below the median place
Median household income1
$106,250
32% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Mean commute22 min −14%
Income per person$48,421 +21%
Works from home14.6% +17%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$106,25032% above
Income per person1$48,42121% above
Unemployment1County figure4.2%15% below
Average annual pay6County figure$64,7992% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.0%8% above
Jobs6County figure417,408177% above
Poverty rate13.8%65% below
Mean commute122 min14% below
Works from home114.6%17% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 98.3%, 6% above the median place.

High school or higher1
98.3%
6% above the median place
Population change since 20207
10.2%
above the median place (median 1.1%)
Bachelor's or higher1
54.4%
70% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband95.7% +4%
Born abroad5.2% −41%
Median age38.0 −3%
Household size2.5 +2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,6716646th largest
Population change since 2020710.2%above (median 1.1%)
Median age138.03% below
Bachelor's or higher154.4%70% above
High school or higher198.3%6% above
Household size12.52% above
Born abroad15.2%41% below
No health insurance1County figure4.8%25% below
Homes with broadband195.7%4% above
05

Life in Caledonia

59 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents35.9 3.5×
Playgrounds per 10k155.6 16.5×
Grocery stores per 10k12.0 5.6×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k29.9 2.7×
Libraries per 10k12.0 13.8×
Named paths and bike trails2 km −15%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops32.6 +8%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.2 +2%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.3 +0%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher12
17.8
16% above the median place
Public schools12
10
11% above the median place
Public school students12
4,771
3% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools121011% above
Public school students124,7713% below
Students per teacher1217.816% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k9County figure32.68% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.22% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure20.30% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k1035.9253% above
Playgrounds per 10k10155.6above (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k1012.0above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1029.9168% above
Libraries per 10k1012.0above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails101.715% below
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure59354% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Average temperature is 48°F, 13% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Caledonia. Larger places are fetched first.

Average temperature13
48°F
13% below the median place
Tornado risk14
97.8
20% above the median place
January average low13
16°F
35% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureCaledoniaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F5% below
January average low13County figure16°F35% below
Average temperature13County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation13County figure37.4 in15% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure92.20% below
Hurricane risk14County figure33.652% below
Tornado risk14County figure97.820% above
Wildfire risk14County figure42.630% below
Heat wave risk14County figure95.06% above
Median air quality index15County figure5221% above
Good air days15County figure41.9%39% below
08

Caledonia in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 13% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,128/mo (2024)$1,450/mo$1,190 to $1,760/mo+4.2%
Median household income$106,250 (2024)$136,500$115,000 to $161,500+4.2%
Median home value$339,000 (2024)$497,000$360,000 to $684,000+6.6%
Population1,778 (2025)1,8601,780 to 1,930+0.9%

The median home would be worth 3.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Caledonia

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Rockford, MI$1,111$107,121Compare
Fort Thomas, KY$1,126$104,350Compare
Perrysburg, OH$1,198$111,643Compare
Eureka, MO$1,252$108,394Compare
Eureka, MOPerrysburg, OHFort Thomas, KYRockford, MICaledonia, MICaledoniaRockfordFort ThomasEurekaCaledoniaRockfordFort ThomasEureka

Common questions

Is Caledonia a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes only 12.7% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 93% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 93% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 85 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Caledonia expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $339,000.

What salary do you need to live in Caledonia?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $45,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Caledonia?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Rockford, MI, Fort Thomas, KY, Perrysburg, OH and Eureka, MO.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Caledonia with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Caledonia itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/caledonia-michigan

Citytistics. “Caledonia, Michigan.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/caledonia-michigan/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.