City · Kalamazoo County, Michigan

Galesburg, Michigan

Galesburg is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, part of the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro area. It has 2,023 residents. Galesburg, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 38 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,672 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #251 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), drought exposure (low) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on depression (high), violent crime rate (high) and bachelor's degree or higher (low).

38Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,672 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #251 of 444 in MI
Population: 2,023 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,427.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2631260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety12#13,703/15,637
Economy30#10,993/15,631
Housing37#9,462/14,977
Health50#7,872/15,609
Healthcare75#3,970/15,650
Environment23#11,850/15,453
Education15#13,336/15,649
Infrastructure62#5,903/15,650
Community71#4,564/15,651
Leisure & amenities67#5,146/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
95/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauKalamazoo County value
Drought exposure · low0%
94/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAKalamazoo County value
Mental health providers · high555 /100k
91/100Michigan 371 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKalamazoo County value
Natural hazard risk · low6.2
90/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyKalamazoo County value
Primary care physicians · high103 /100k
85/100Michigan 81 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteKalamazoo County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
84/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Depression · high30.3%
4/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Violent crime rate · high580 /100k
6/100Michigan 416 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationKalamazoo County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.1%
7/100Michigan 32.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Property crime rate · high2,324 /100k
7/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationKalamazoo County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.3 µg/m³
7/100Michigan 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyKalamazoo County value
Poverty rate · high25.7%
10/100Michigan 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,150 (2015-2019) → 2,023 (2020-2024)
−5.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
18.5% (2015-2019) → 36.0% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
49.5% (2015-2019) → 65.0% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$36,136 (2015-2019) → $52,153 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.8% (2015-2019) → 37.3% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.9% (2015-2019) → 94.8% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Galesburg, Michigan improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved1

Household income+44%$36,136 → $52,153

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Galesburg, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.1 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	+4.1 min	Within the margin of error	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.1%2015-2019	10.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	86.7%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Child poverty rate	18.5%2015-2019	36.0%2020-2024	+18 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	1.73%2015-2019	1.22%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	91%
High school diploma or higher	88.9%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	63%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3852015-2019	0.4022020-2024	+0.017	Within the margin of error	36%
Median household income	$36,1362015-2019	$52,1532020-2024	+44%	Improved	79%
Poverty rate	21.6%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent as share of income	29.8%2015-2019	37.3%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	49.5%2015-2019	65.0%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.4%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“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 Galesburg, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Galesburg, 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, Galesburg, Michigan itself moved −7.9 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

2,023 residents (±386)

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

774 households (±124)

Galesburg, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k25%†194
$25k–50k21%†162
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

774 households (±124)

Galesburg, Michigan
Michigan share

Own68%527
Rent32%247

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+15.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

840 workers (±223)

Galesburg, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone83%700
Carpool3.2%†27
Public transit0.4%†3

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 Kalamazoo-Portage, 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 Kalamazoo County, the county holding most of Galesburg's residents.

Kalamazoo County has 5,704 employer establishments, 217 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.95× Michigan's), with 114,065 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,232. The Census Bureau also counts 19,019 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,704; 19,019 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 217; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 114,065
Average annual pay: $60,232; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	500	19.1	0.91×About typical	7,095	$82,647	1,159
Restaurants and other eating places	456	17.4	0.95×About typical	9,959	$20,096	70
Specialty trade contractors	266	10.1	0.65×Fewer than typical	3,955	$78,999	970
Limited-service restaurants	211	8	1.00×About typical	4,585	$17,932	27
Lessors of real estate	209	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,144	$46,384	1,894
Full-service restaurants	198	7.5	0.98×About typical	4,572	$22,456	27
Services to buildings and dwellings	195	7.4	1.10×About typical	2,105	$31,683	991
Religious organizations	175	6.7	1.20×About typical	1,510	$27,217	—
Offices of other health practitioners	169	6.4	1.06×About typical	1,032	$43,096	674
Construction of buildings	150	5.7	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,372	$83,449	541
Automotive repair and maintenance	140	5.3	1.06×About typical	840	$53,125	165
Offices of physicians	130	5	0.76×Fewer than typical	2,509	$131,224	173

Rank places for an industry Open Kalamazoo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 262,460 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 $13.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Galesburg, Michigan: $6.61 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $13.4K; −44% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6.61; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 33%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$13.4K100%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

573.8FY2017
2.8KFY2018
4.3KFY2019
3.6KFY2020
252FY2023
12.3KFY2024
23.7KFY2025
13.4KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$10.7K80%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$2,68220%

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 Galesburg, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Galesburg, Michigan's figures are part of those of Kalamazoo County, MI ($35.3M 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: Galesburg is mostly in Kalamazoo County.

See federal money in Kalamazoo 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.

Galesburg, 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.

Kalamazoo County64100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI70

Other cities and towns in Kalamazoo 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/2631260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends