Scores by category

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

Safety65#5,518/15,637
Economy29#11,046/15,631
Housing44#8,402/14,977
Health53#7,390/15,609
Healthcare7#14,480/15,650
Environment23#11,945/15,453
Education25#11,701/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,673/15,650
Community42#9,101/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,898/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Job growth · high3.2%
94/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataIonia County value
Child care cost burden · low20.6%
93/100Michigan 25.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIonia County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.4×
83/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Property crime rate · low614 /100k
82/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationIonia County value
Hot days · low8 days
77/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationIonia County value
Drought exposure · low11%
77/100Michigan 12%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAIonia County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
5/100Michigan 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIonia County value
New business applications · low7.8 /1k
6/100Michigan 15.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauIonia County value
Primary care physicians · low24 /100k
7/100Michigan 81 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIonia County value
Flu vaccinations · low30.0%
8/100Michigan 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIonia County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.6 /10k
8/100Michigan 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyIonia County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Michigan 3.1United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesIonia County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.0% (2015-2019) → 55.2% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
21.7% (2015-2019) → 10.7% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.4% (2015-2019) → 31.3% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.0% (2015-2019) → 90.2% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,038 (2015-2019) → $62,813 (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
13.5% (2015-2019) → 21.3% (2020-2024)
+7.8 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, Lake Odessa, Michigan improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 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

Bachelor's++7.8 points13.5% → 21.3%
Broadband+9.2 points81.0% → 90.2%

Declined1

Rent / income+9.9 points21.4% → 31.3%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Lake Odessa, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.1 min2015-2019	25.7 min2020-2024	−3.4 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.5%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Improved	83%
Broadband subscriptions	81.0%2015-2019	90.2%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	56%
Effective property tax rate	1.53%2015-2019	1.50%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	88.1%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	70%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4102015-2019	0.4342020-2024	+0.025	Within the margin of error	30%
Median household income	$45,0382015-2019	$62,8132020-2024	+39%	Within the margin of error	73%
Poverty rate	14.5%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	21.4%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	+9.9 points	Declined	10%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.6%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	79%

“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 Lake Odessa, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake Odessa, 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, Lake Odessa, Michigan itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,155 residents (±363)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+9.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,155 residents (±363)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

White82%1,771
Black4.2%†91
Hispanic or Latino4.7%†101

Education

1,330 residents (±229)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma7.8%†104
High school or GED36%480
Some college26%347

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

703 households (±119)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k18%†128
$25k–50k23%†159
$50k–75k18%†129
$75k–100k14%†97
$100k–150k18%†125
$150k–200k3.0%†21
$200k or more6.3%†44

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

703 households (±119)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Own77%544
Rent23%†159

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+11.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

111 households (±46)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $75046%†51
$750–1,00028%†31
$1,000–1,50022%†24

Home values

544 homes (±109)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k50%274
$150k–250k39%†211
$250k–400k5.7%†31

Age of homes

754 homes (±128)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later8.0%†60
2000–20091.2%†9
1980–19999.8%†74

Size of homes

754 homes (±128)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio3.1%†23
1 bedroom6.0%†45
2 bedrooms25%†186

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,015 workers (±220)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone78%789
Carpool6.1%†62
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.3%†33
Bike0.0%0
Work from home13%†131
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+10.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

884 workers (±207)

Lake Odessa, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min35%†305
15–29 min17%†154
30–44 min33%†292

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, 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 Ionia County, the county holding most of Lake Odessa's residents.

Ionia County has 904 employer establishments, 137 for every 10,000 residents (0.55× the US rate of 248; 0.60× Michigan's), with 12,367 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,584. The Census Bureau also counts 3,651 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 904; 3,651 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 137; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 12,367
Average annual pay: $44,584; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	75	11.3	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,340	$17,701	5
Specialty trade contractors	72	10.9	0.70×Fewer than typical	548	$70,991	380
Ambulatory health care services	69	10.4	0.50×Fewer than typical	453	$56,662	106
Construction of buildings	45	6.8	0.90×About typical	216	$52,792	196
Religious organizations	42	6.4	1.15×About typical	190	$18,642	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	40	6	1.20×About typical	173	$51,301	75
Services to buildings and dwellings	37	5.6	0.83×About typical	145	$40,883	246
Full-service restaurants	35	5.3	0.69×Fewer than typical	545	$18,903	—
Limited-service restaurants	33	5	0.62×Fewer than typical	746	$16,932	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	26	3.9	1.25×About typical	293	$71,017	73
Gasoline stations	24	3.6	1.12×About typical	215	$31,819	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	23	3.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	98	$53,694	42

Rank places for an industry Open Ionia County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 66,122 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 $46.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lake Odessa, Michigan: $21.55 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $46.4K; −47% vs FY2025
Per resident: $21.55; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$46.4K100%

Top recipients

INN FOODS, INC.$46.4K100%

Spending by fiscal year

7.1KFY2017
3.8KFY2018
205.5FY2020
0FY2021
791.6FY2023
78.4KFY2024
88.1KFY2025
46.4KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$46.4K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Lake Odessa, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Lake Odessa, Michigan's figures are part of those of Ionia County, MI ($3.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Ionia 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.

Lake Odessa, 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.

Ionia County42100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI80

Other cities and towns in Ionia 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/2644880

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends