City · Eaton County, Michigan

Eaton Rapids, Michigan

Eaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County, Michigan, part of the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area. It has 5,183 residents. Eaton Rapids, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 33 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,493 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #293 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on drought exposure (low), voter turnout (high) and unemployment rate (low). It ranks worst on hospital quality rating (low), depression (high) and grocery stores (low).

33Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,493 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #293 of 444 in MI
Population: 5,183 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 1,427.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 2624540

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety42#9,098/15,637
Economy59#6,363/15,631
Housing34#9,832/14,977
Health35#10,104/15,609
Healthcare50#7,849/15,650
Environment38#9,548/15,453
Education21#12,299/15,649
Infrastructure33#10,437/15,650
Community75#3,969/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,134/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Eaton Rapids, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Eaton 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

Drought exposure · low1%
94/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAEaton County value
Voter turnout · high77.2%
91/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionEaton County value
Unemployment rate · low1.6%
87/100Michigan 5.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Dental care shortage · low0.0
84/100Michigan 6.3United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationEaton County value
Child care cost burden · low23.4%
83/100Michigan 25.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEaton County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.4×
82/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100Michigan 3.1United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesEaton County value
Depression · high30.3%
5/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
5/100Michigan 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEaton County value
Primary care physicians · low29 /100k
12/100Michigan 81 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEaton County value
Frequent mental distress · high20.7%
14/100Michigan 20.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · low15.1%
17/100Michigan 32.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 1.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+202%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
47.9% (2015-2019) → 61.3% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.7% (2015-2019) → 89.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$42,921 (2015-2019) → $63,875 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.3% (2015-2019) → 36.8% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
17.2% (2015-2019) → 12.7% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Eaton Rapids, Michigan improved on 2 of 13 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.

Improved2

Household income+49%$42,921 → $63,875
Broadband+13 points76.7% → 89.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Eaton Rapids, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.6 min2015-2019	28.0 min2020-2024	+3.5 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.5%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	76.7%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Child poverty rate	17.2%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Effective property tax rate	1.72%2015-2019	1.35%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	88.4%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	91%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3942015-2019	0.3832020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$42,9212015-2019	$63,8752020-2024	+49%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	17.3%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	36.8%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	47.9%2015-2019	61.3%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.0%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%

“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 Eaton Rapids, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Eaton 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, Eaton Rapids, Michigan itself moved −2.6 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

5,183 residents (±32)

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

2,149 households (±154)

Eaton Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k20%†425
$25k–50k18%†379
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,149 households (±154)

Eaton Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Own70%1,499
Rent30%650

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.6 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,486 workers (±218)

Eaton Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone77%1,907
Carpool5.8%†143
Public transit0.0%0

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 Lansing-East Lansing, 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 Eaton County, the county holding most of Eaton Rapids's residents.

Eaton County has 2,182 employer establishments, 200 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.88× Michigan's), with 42,828 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,064. The Census Bureau also counts 7,884 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,182; 7,884 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 200; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 42,828
Average annual pay: $53,064; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	186	17.1	0.93×About typical	3,791	$19,791	37
Ambulatory health care services	151	13.9	0.67×Fewer than typical	1,236	$57,083	285
Specialty trade contractors	136	12.5	0.81×About typical	1,025	$76,621	648
Limited-service restaurants	100	9.2	1.14×About typical	1,987	$17,482	22
Religious organizations	85	7.8	1.41×More than typical	1,041	$24,814	—
Lessors of real estate	78	7.2	0.58×Fewer than typical	385	$46,730	619
Construction of buildings	65	6	0.79×Fewer than typical	306	$64,631	321
Full-service restaurants	65	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,567	$23,288	9
Services to buildings and dwellings	63	5.8	0.86×About typical	513	$36,801	485
Offices of other health practitioners	61	5.6	0.92×About typical	346	$41,983	151
Building equipment contractors	59	5.4	0.90×About typical	568	$74,607	93
Automotive repair and maintenance	53	4.9	0.97×About typical	249	$46,839	106

Rank places for an industry Open Eaton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 108,915 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Eaton Rapids, Michigan: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

398.9FY2019
914.5FY2020
9KFY2021
0FY2022
263.9FY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Eaton Rapids, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Eaton Rapids, Michigan's figures are part of those of Eaton County, MI ($385.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Eaton 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.

Eaton Rapids, Michigan is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Eaton County72100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Lansing-East Lansing, MI69

Other cities and towns in Eaton 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/2624540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends