What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Walnut Heights?
Walnut Heights is ranked #10 of 12 eligible neighborhoods in East Lansing; #190 of 334 eligible neighborhoods in MI; and #8,619 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Walnut Heights
East Lansing, MI | Ingham County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
47.3
Stability and Strength
32.4
Value Opportunity
34.4
Momentum
89.2
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | East Lansing, MI |
| County | Ingham County |
| National rank | #8,619 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #190 of 334 |
| City rank | #10 of 12 |
| County rank | #31 of 47 |
| National percentile | 42.4 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $329,799 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 6.3% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.48% |
| Home value to income ratio | 8.36 |
| Median household income | $39,459 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.6% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 5.3% |
| Homeownership rate | 18.8% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 0.1% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 71.5% |
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 Walnut Heights
Is Walnut Heights one of the best neighborhoods in East Lansing?
Walnut Heights has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 47.3 and a city ranking of #10 of 12 eligible neighborhoods in East Lansing.
How much are homes worth in Walnut Heights?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Walnut Heights is approximately $329,799.
Are home values rising or falling in Walnut Heights?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 6.3% year over year and 0.48% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Walnut Heights?
Walnut Heights has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 89.2. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Walnut Heights?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $39,459.
How affordable is Walnut Heights relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 8.36. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Walnut Heights primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 18.8%.
What is the unemployment rate in Walnut Heights?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 5.3%.
How educated are residents of Walnut Heights?
Approximately 36.6% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Walnut Heights face high rent burden?
Approximately 71.5% 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 Walnut Heights?
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 applications17
Estimated originations11
Home-purchase applications10
Origination rate63.5%
Home-purchase share58.9%
Average application loan$240,018
Total application loan amount$4,034,719
National application rank#11,152 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 5.1% YoY; originations -5.0% 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.