Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a Michigan city in Kent County, home to about 200,000 people.
The state's second-largest city sits on the Grand River in West Michigan, and it has worn a lot of names over the years. It was "Furniture City" first, the center of the American furniture industry from the 1870s into the 1930s; Steelcase, one of the world's biggest office-furniture makers, is still based here. More recently it has gone by "Beer City USA," with dozens of breweries downtown and across the metro, and it's home to the Medical Mile, a hillside row of hospitals, research labs, and medical schools along Michigan Street. Every fall the ArtPrize competition turns the whole downtown into a free, city-sized art show. It's also the hometown of Gerald R. Ford, the only U.S. president from Michigan, who is buried with Betty Ford at his presidential museum on the riverfront.
Population
~200,000
Type
city
Home tax rate
33.1–36.3 mills
School districts
7
What would you like to know?
Explore Grand Rapids
What it's like — the place, local stories, and what's worth knowing about the community.
Get to know it →Moving or buying here?
The property-tax pop-up, the homebuyer calculator, school-district rates, and the local rules to check.
See the practical stuff →Get to know it
About Grand Rapids
If you're buying here, the biggest line to know is the city income tax. Grand Rapids is one of about two dozen Michigan cities that charge one, and one of the highest: residents pay 1.5% on income, and non-residents who work in the city pay 0.75%. Only Detroit charges more. It comes on top of state and federal income tax, gets filed on the city's own return, and is due April 30, a couple of weeks after your federal deadline. If you live in Grand Rapids but work in another city with its own income tax (like Walker), you can usually claim a credit so you aren't taxed twice.
A few other local rules are worth a look before you sign. Short-term rental rules are set by the city, and renting out a home may mean registering it and passing a safety inspection first. Owners of older homes should know that in a city historic district, exterior changes usually need the city's approval before you can pull permits. The notes below cover those, along with west Michigan car insurance and winter overnight parking.
More about Grand Rapids
Porch Note
ArtPrize: when downtown Grand Rapids becomes one giant art show
ArtPrize turns downtown Grand Rapids into a free, city-sized art show each fall.
Read this note →Porch Note
Beer City USA: how Grand Rapids became a craft-beer capital
Grand Rapids earned the Beer City USA nickname through a national fan vote and a fast-growing craft-brewery scene.
Read this note →Porch Note
Grand Rapids: the original Furniture City
Grand Rapids was once the center of the American furniture industry, then reinvented itself around office furniture.
Read this note →Porch Note
How Grand Rapids became the first city to fluoridate its water
Grand Rapids was the first U.S. city to add fluoride to its drinking water, a public-health experiment that began in 1945.
Read this note →Porch Note
Michigan's only president is buried in downtown Grand Rapids
Gerald R. Ford, the only U.S. president from Michigan, is buried with Betty Ford at his presidential museum in downtown Grand Rapids.
Read this note →Porch Note
The 'rapids' that vanished from Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids was named for real rapids on the Grand River, and a restoration project is set to bring them back.
Read this note →Porch Note
The Grand Rapids Chicks: women's pro baseball
The Grand Rapids Chicks played women's professional baseball from 1945 to 1954 and won two league championships.
Read this note →Porch Note
The Medical Mile: how Grand Rapids became a research hub
Grand Rapids' Medical Mile turned a stretch of Michigan Street into a major hospital, research, and medical-school corridor.
Read this note →The practical stuff
Moving or buying in Grand Rapids
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 33.1249 mills - 36.3132 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 51.1249 mills - 54.3132 mills
- School districts available
- 7 in Grand Rapids
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed June 8, 2026.
What these local words mean
- Primary home (PRE)
- A home you own and live in as your main home. PRE stands for Principal Residence Exemption and can lower the school operating tax.
- Non-homestead
- Property that is not treated as the owner's main home, such as a rental, vacation home, or second home.
- Assessor
- The local office that estimates and records property values and exemptions.
- Treasurer
- The local office that collects property tax payments and can confirm bill timing.
Michigan homebuyer tax calculator
See the tax bill after you buy.
Where is the house?
Pick the county, city or township, and school district. We use the official 2025 tax rates published by Michigan Treasury.
Not sure of the school district? Check the property listing. It is usually under "Schools."
Need to double-check the exact parcel? Use the official state estimator at treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator or call the local treasurer. Rates can change across city, township, village, and school district lines, so the exact parcel matters.
What buyers in Grand Rapids should know
Michigan property taxes start with Taxable Value, not the price you paid for the home. Local millage rates are applied to that number.
While the same owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how much Taxable Value can rise each year. When the home sells, that cap usually comes off. This is called uncapping.
After uncapping, the buyer's Taxable Value usually moves closer to State Equalized Value, or SEV. SEV is often about half of the home's market value.
Bottom line: a longtime owner may have been taxed on an older, capped number. After you buy, the taxable number may reset higher, and your first full-year tax bill may be much higher than the seller's.
In Grand Rapids, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 7 school districts cover Grand Rapids.
For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 33.1 to 36.3 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 51.1 to 54.3 mills. The calculator uses the exact local rates.
If this will be your main home, make sure the Principal Residence Exemption, or PRE, is handled with the local assessor. PRE is Michigan's main-home property tax exemption. It can remove up to 18 school operating mills. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes usually use the non-homestead rate instead.
School districts in this area
Caledonia Community
Primary home (PRE) 36.2749 mills · non-homestead 54.2749 mills
Forest Hills Public SC
Primary home (PRE) 36.3132 mills · non-homestead 54.3132 mills
Godwin Heights Public
Primary home (PRE) 34.3949 mills · non-homestead 52.3949 mills
Grand Rapids City Schools
Primary home (PRE) 33.1249 mills · non-homestead 51.1249 mills
Grandville Public Schools
Primary home (PRE) 35.6751 mills · non-homestead 53.6751 mills
Kenowa Hills Public S
Primary home (PRE) 33.9449 mills · non-homestead 51.9449 mills
Kentwood Public Schools
Primary home (PRE) 34.8114 mills · non-homestead 52.8114 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Grand Rapids: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Porch Note
Buying a historic Grand Rapids home? You may need the city's OK to change the outside
Grand Rapids historic districts require city approval for many exterior changes before a building permit can be issued.
Read this note →Porch Note
Renting out a home? Your city may make you register it and pass an inspection
Many Michigan cities require rental homes to be registered and inspected before a tenant can legally move in.
Read this note →Porch Note
Parking overnight in west Michigan? Watch the winter street rules
Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo handle overnight winter street parking differently, and nearby cities set their own local rules.
Read this note →Porch Note
Good news on car insurance: west Michigan is the cheap end of an expensive state
Michigan car insurance is expensive, but Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo-area drivers are usually on the lower-cost end of the state.
Read this note →Nearby places
Other Michigan Porch pages in Kent County — handy when you're comparing local tax rates, school districts, or nearby communities.
Next steps
What to check next for Grand Rapids
Get oriented here, then choose the next practical guide, calculator, or nearby place.
County
Open Kent County
See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot.
Open county page →Calculator
Run a buyer tax estimate
Use the Michigan homebuyer tax calculator if you want to compare a different place or school district.
Open calculator →Tax break
Understand PRE
Learn who qualifies for the primary-home tax break and how the deadlines work.
Read PRE guide →Questions buyers ask
Is this an exact number? +
No. It is a strong estimate based on Michigan's published 2025 tax rates for your area. Your actual bill depends on what the local assessor decides your home is worth, called the SEV. Use this to plan your budget, not to lock in an exact figure.
When will my higher tax kick in? +
The first calendar year after you close. Close in June 2026, and the seller's tax bill usually comes through for 2026. Your new popped-up bill arrives in 2027.
What's PRE? +
PRE is Michigan's primary-home tax break. If you own the home and live there as your main home, it can remove up to 18 mills of local school operating tax from the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes do not get it. File Form 2368 with the local assessor by June 1 for the summer bill or November 1 for the winter bill.
What are mills? +
Mills are the tax rate. One mill means $1 of tax for every $1,000 of Taxable Value. A 40-mill rate means about $40 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Different areas have different rates because county, city or township, school, library, public safety, parks, and other local taxes are stacked together.
What's the inflation multiplier? +
It is the yearly number Michigan uses to cap Taxable Value increases while the same owner keeps the home. Think of it as the speed limit for Taxable Value. For the 2026 tax year, the multiplier is 1.027, or 2.7%. When a home sells, that cap usually resets.
Are there ways to avoid the pop-up? +
A few, mostly family transfers. Parent to child, spouse to spouse, sibling to sibling, and some grandparent transfers may avoid the reset if the home stays residential. For family transfers, talk to a Michigan real estate attorney.
Why is my number different from the tax history on a listing? +
Most tax history pages show what the current owner paid. That is often based on a protected, lower taxable value. This calculator estimates what your taxable value becomes after Michigan's uncapping rule.
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