What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Southwest?
Southwest is ranked #22 of 30 eligible neighborhoods in Grand Rapids; #160 of 334 eligible neighborhoods in MI; and #7,115 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Southwest
Grand Rapids, MI | Kent County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
51.5
Stability and Strength
37.9
Value Opportunity
54.9
Momentum
68.3
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Grand Rapids, MI |
| County | Kent County |
| National rank | #7,115 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #160 of 334 |
| City rank | #22 of 30 |
| County rank | #22 of 30 |
| National percentile | 52.5 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $247,962 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.4% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.05% |
| Home value to income ratio | 3.58 |
| Median household income | $69,300 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37.6% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 6.9% |
| Homeownership rate | 24.1% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 9.3% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 42.7% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Southwest
Is Southwest one of the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids?
Southwest has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 51.5 and a city ranking of #22 of 30 eligible neighborhoods in Grand Rapids.
How much are homes worth in Southwest?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Southwest is approximately $247,962.
Are home values rising or falling in Southwest?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.4% year over year and 0.05% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Southwest?
Southwest has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 68.3. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Southwest?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $69,300.
How affordable is Southwest relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 3.58. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Southwest primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 24.1%.
What is the unemployment rate in Southwest?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 6.9%.
How educated are residents of Southwest?
Approximately 37.6% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Southwest face high rent burden?
Approximately 42.7% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Southwest?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications85
Estimated originations51
Home-purchase applications43
Origination rate60.0%
Home-purchase share50.3%
Average application loan$209,869
Total application loan amount$17,821,463
National application rank#4,981 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 18.6% YoY; originations -0.5% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.