City · Mecosta County, Michigan

Big Rapids, Michigan

Big Rapids is a city in Mecosta County, Michigan, part of the Big Rapids, MI metro area. It has 8,477 residents. Big Rapids, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 13 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,596 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #425 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on drug overdose deaths (low), average commute time (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on poverty rate (high), depression (high) and mental health care shortage (high).

13Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,596 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #425 of 444 in MI
Population: 8,477 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 1,906.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2608300

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety32#10,589/15,637
Economy10#14,036/15,631
Housing24#11,395/14,977
Health31#10,812/15,609
Healthcare21#12,347/15,650
Environment15#13,193/15,453
Education46#8,373/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,076/15,650
Community41#9,307/15,651
Leisure & amenities20#12,529/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Big Rapids, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Mecosta County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Michigan 16.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMecosta County value
Average commute time · low14.9 min
97/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Job growth · high2.0%
88/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMecosta County value
Public libraries · high1.4 /10k
85/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMecosta County value
Preventable hospital stays · low2,047 /100k
83/100Michigan 3,367 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMecosta County value
Hot days · low6 days
82/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMecosta County value

Weaknesses

Poverty rate · high34.1%
1/100Michigan 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Depression · high31.4%
3/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Michigan 9.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMecosta County value
Average weekly wage · low$881
4/100Michigan $1,362United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMecosta County value
Food environment index · low6.3
6/100Michigan 7.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMecosta County value
Broadband subscriptions · low82.3%
6/100Michigan 90.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
10,355 (2015-2019) → 8,477 (2020-2024)
−18%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
46.5% (2015-2019) → 27.2% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$26,227 (2015-2019) → $43,858 (2020-2024)
+67%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
40.7% (2015-2019) → 34.1% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
89.6% (2015-2019) → 94.3% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
31.1% (2015-2019) → 26.9% (2020-2024)
−4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Big Rapids, Michigan improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Child poverty−19 points46.5% → 27.2%
Household income+67%$26,227 → $43,858
Unemployment−3.9 points8.3% → 4.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Big Rapids, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.2 min2015-2019	14.9 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	30%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.1%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Broadband subscriptions	78.6%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Child poverty rate	46.5%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%
Effective property tax rate	1.72%2015-2019	1.40%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	76%
High school diploma or higher	89.6%2015-2019	94.3%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.4792020-2024	−0.022	Within the margin of error	69%
Median household income	$26,2272015-2019	$43,8582020-2024	+67%	Improved	93%
Poverty rate	40.7%2015-2019	34.1%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent as share of income	32.6%2015-2019	32.4%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	56.5%2015-2019	54.5%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Unemployment rate	8.3%2015-2019	4.3%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Improved	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.9%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Big Rapids, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Big Rapids, Michigan in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Big Rapids, Michigan itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,477 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,133 households (±201)

Big Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k32%993
$25k–50k24%750
$50k–75k19%581

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,133 households (±201)

Big Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Own41%1,299
Rent59%1,834

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,366 workers (±337)

Big Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone68%2,954
Carpool7.4%†324
Public transit0.5%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Big Rapids, MI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Mecosta County, the county holding most of Big Rapids's residents.

Mecosta County has 727 employer establishments, 174 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.76× Michigan's), with 9,425 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,607. The Census Bureau also counts 2,634 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 727; 2,634 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 174; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 9,425
Average annual pay: $42,607; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Mecosta County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	64	15.3	0.84×About typical	1,003	$19,025	4
Ambulatory health care services	55	13.2	0.63×Fewer than typical	639	$56,224	100
Religious organizations	34	8.2	1.47×More than typical	212	$23,033	—
Specialty trade contractors	30	7.2	0.46×Fewer than typical	118	$52,475	234
Limited-service restaurants	28	6.7	0.84×About typical	442	$17,939	—
Lessors of real estate	27	6.5	0.53×Fewer than typical	72	$47,625	239
Full-service restaurants	25	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	480	$20,588	3
Construction of buildings	22	5.3	0.70×Fewer than typical	76	$39,855	166
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	5	1.00×About typical	111	$43,270	37
Gasoline stations	19	4.6	1.40×More than typical	235	$25,451	—
Offices of other health practitioners	19	4.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	124	$50,024	56
Insurance agencies and brokerages	18	4.3	0.98×About typical	70	$56,814	49

Rank places for an industry Open Mecosta County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 41,715 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.6M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Big Rapids, Michigan: $193 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.6M; +94% vs FY2025
Per resident: $193; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$1.6M100%

Top recipients

ORIGINAL FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURING BR INC$1.6M100%

Spending by fiscal year

11.9KFY2017
373.7KFY2018
463.2KFY2019
160.8KFY2020
72.9KFY2021
2.1KFY2022
714.6FY2023
254.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Footwear manufacturing · 3162$1.6M100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Big Rapids, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Big Rapids, Michigan's figures are part of those of Mecosta County, MI ($39.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Big Rapids is mostly in Mecosta County.

See federal money in Mecosta County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Big Rapids, Michigan is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

John R. MoolenaarR-MI-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Mecosta County27100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Big Rapids, MI23

Other cities and towns in Mecosta County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2608300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends