What it's like to live in Muskegon
Muskegon is a small city in Michigan with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Muskegon deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
How Muskegon compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Muskegon
Based on Muskegon's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,992
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,840 a year
- 51% of Muskegon renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$28,460
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,230
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 30% below US
$996/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $996 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $142,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $142,300 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 84% above US
7.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 7.9%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 69% above US
558 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 2035/100k · Muskegon Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 21% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.6 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 57% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
16 public schools inside the boundary
There are 16 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
Muskegon's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($996/mo) equals 27% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Muskegon
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