COUNTY PROFILE - KENT, Michigan
LOCATION SERVICES
The Right Place Program
17 Fountain, N.W.
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
Contact: Birgit M. Klohs
Phone: 616/771-0324
FAX: 616/771-0318
County Seat: Grand Rapids
POPULATION
1970 Census 411044
1980 Census 444506
1990 Census 500631
Median Age (as of 1990) 30.7 years
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
Total Labor Force 281275
Employed 260575
Total Unemployment 20700
Unemployment Rate 7.4%
3-Year Average 7.%
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
Firm Employees Product/Service
Steelcase, Grand Rapids 8500 Office furniture
GM (3 plants), Grand Rapids/Wyoming 7940 Auto stampings, dies, fixtures
Meijer, Grand Rapids 6500 Food & general
Amway, Ada 4500 Home & personal care/nutrition
Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids 2600 Medical care
Smiths Industries 2100 Precision instruments
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford 2000 Footwear and leather products
Blodgett Mem Med Cntr, Grand Rapids 1900 Medical care
Spartan Stores 1600 Grocery distribution
Keeler Brass, Grand Rapids 1500 Auto/furniture hardware & trim
Old Kent Financial, Grand Rapids 1460 Financial services
Foremost Insurance, Grand Rapids 1450 RV & mobile home insurance
Saint Mary's Health Services, GR 1400 Medical care
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, GR 1200 Hotel and convention center
American Seating, Grand Rapids 1000 Public seating
Lescoa, Grand Rapids 950 Metal stamping
Metropolitan Hospital, Grand Rapids 950 Medical care
Rapistan, Grand Rapids 900 Material management systems
Autodie, Grand Rapids 850 Tool and die
Lacks Industries, Grand Rapids 850 Auto trim & plumbing fixtures
Westinghouse Furniture Systems, GR 800 Office furniture
Stow & Davis Furniture, Kentwood 780 Wood office furniture
Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids 750 Food services
Cutler Mfg., Grand Rapids 700 Infant wear
Keebler, Grand Rapids 700 Cookies & crackers
Knape & Vogt Mfg, Grand Rapids 700 Builders hardware, shelving
D & W Food Centers, Grand Rapids 680 Grocery stores & markets
Grocers's Baking 680 Bread & baked goods
Eberhard Foods, Grand Rapids 675 Grocery stores & markets
Grand Valley State Univ, GR 675 Education
Pine Rest Christian Hospital, GR 650 Psychiatric care
Rogers Department Store, Wyoming 650 Regional department store
Bissell, Grand Rapids 550 Home care devices & chemicals
Calvin Coll./Seminary,Grand Rapids 550 Education
Grand Rapids Junior College, GR 550 Education
Hope Rehabilitation Network, GR 550 Rehabilitation & counseling
Schelde Enterprises, Grand Rapids 550 Restaurants
Thorn Apple Valley of Grand Rapids 550 Sausage & meat products
AutoStyle Plastics 500 Automotive stampings
Leon Plastics, Grand Rapids 500 Auto injection molding
Jet Electronics & Technology, GR 420 Avionics
EARNING LEVELS
Average Hourly Rate
Classification Minimum Maximum
Assembler - Light $6.44 $8.40
Clerk, General Office $5.17 $6.33
Forklift Operator $9.53 $13.57
General Laborer $8.79 $14.14
Inspector $7.69 $10.93
Machine Operator $11.89 $13.60
Maintenance Mechanic $12.55 $15.91
Maintenance, Building $4.54 $4.98
Receptionist $6.22 $8.28
Welder $10.23 $15.10
Source: Based on Consumers Power community survey, adjusted for inflation
to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
DISTANCE TO:
Miles Kilometers
Chicago 180 289
Cleveland 300 482
Detroit 150 241
Indianapolis 250 402
Lansing 60 96
Toronto 390 627
TRANSPORTATION
Main Highways: I-96, I-196; M-11, 21, 37, 44, 46, 50, 57; US-131
Bus Lines: Greyhound; Shortway
Truck Lines: 55
Rail Lines: Amtrak; Conrail; CSX; Grand Trunk Western
Ports: None
Airports: Kent County International
Airlines: Air Toronto, American, Delta, Midway Commuter, Midwest
Express, Northwest, Northwest Air-link, Simmons, United,
USAir
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Grand Rapids.
January Average Minimum: 15 F./ -9 C. Average Maximum: 29 F./ -2 C.
July Average Minimum: 60 F./ 16 C. Average Maximum: 83 F./ 28 C.
Growing Season: 154 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C: 9 Average Annual Rainfall: 34 in./ 86 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C: 12 Average Annual Snowfall: 78 in./198 cm.
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
Community Sites Acres Hectares Industrial Parks
Alpine Twp. 6 0 0 1
Byron Twp. 6 53 21 0
Caledonia Twp. 1 0 0 0
Cannon Twp. 1 118 48 0
Cascade Twp. 16 145 59 2
Cedar Springs 3 48 19 0
Gaines Twp. 5 91 37 0
Grand Rapids 22 72 29 3
Grandville 5 91 37 2
Kentwood 44 197 80 8
Lowell Twp. 1 0 0 0
Plainfield Twp. 4 18 7 1
Sparta Twp. 9 26 11 0
Walker 26 257 104 0
Wyoming 40 308 125 3
COUNTY TOTAL 189 1424 576 20
Zero acres indicates less than half an acre or no information available.
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
Residential Industrial Office Mercantile
Units Value Units Value Units Value Units Value
1991: 1745 $185.82 47 $11.69 30 $29.45 43 $29.29
3-Year Average: 1978 $211.84 68 $25.86 40 $27.44 54 $27.87
Values are reported in millions of dollars. A 3-year average value of 1 may
indicate no construction activity in one or more of the last three years.
NEW INCORPORATIONS
Incorporations in 1992: 1624 State Median: 68
Incorporation Rate: 324 State Median: 183
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
Agricultural Residential Industrial Commercial Other
1% 59% 9% 18% 13%
County Total State Equalized Value: $8,524,791,106.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991): 55.79
UTILITIES
Electric Gas Telephone*
Alpine Twp. Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Cascade Twp. Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Cedar Springs Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
E. Grand Rapids Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Grand Rapids Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Grandville Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, EA
Grnd Rapids Twp Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Kentwood Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Lowell Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Plainfield Twp. Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Rockford Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Walker Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
Wyoming Consumers MichCon Michigan Bell, D,EA
* D=digital switching; EA=equal access to interexchange carriers;
see Source List note.
WATER
Gallons Liters Pressure
Source Capacity Use Capacity Use (lbs./sq.in.)
Ada Twp. Lake/River
Alpine Twp. Wells
Byron Twp. Lake/River
Cannon Twp. Wells
Cascade Twp. Lake
Cedar Springs Wells 23 4 87 15 55-80
E. Grand Rapids G.R. syst.
Gaines Twp. Lake/River
Grand Rapids Lake/River 1000 910 3785 3444 35-120
Grandville Wyoming 23 87 45
Grnd Rapids Twp Lake
Kentwood G.R.& Wyo. 126 477 35-90
Lowell Wells 18 16 66 61 60-70
Plainfield Twp. Wells
Rockford River 20 10 76 38 25-110
Sand Lake Wells
Sparta Wells
Walker G.R. syst.
Wyoming Lake 650 620 2460 2347 45-80
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
SEWER
Gallons Liters
Type Capacity Load Capacity Load
Alpine Twp.
Cascade Twp.
Cedar Springs Lagoons 15 8 57 30
E. Grand Rapids w/Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Sec. & Act. Sl. 660 550 2498 2082
Grandville Act. Sludge 44 32 167 121
Grnd Rapids Twp
Kentwood w/G.R. & Wyo. 20 76
Lowell Primary 10 4 38 15
Plainfield Twp.
Rockford w/Grand Rapids
Walker w/ Grand Rapids
Wyoming Sec. Act. Sldge 190 120 719 454
Capacity and present load in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
1990 Master Public Library
Community Phone Number Population Zoning Plan (Volumes)
Ada Twp. 7578
Alpine Twp. 9863
Byron Twp. 13235 Br. Gr. Rapids
Cannon Twp. 7928
Cascade Twp. 12869
Cedar Springs 616-696-1330 2600 yes yes 19,678
E. Grand Rapids 616-949-2110 10807 yes yes 69,126
Gaines Twp. 14533
Grand Rapids 616-456-3010 189126 yes yes 699,941
Grand Rpds Twp. 10760
Grandville 616-531-3030 15624 yes yes 57,099
Kentwood 616-698-9610 37826 yes yes 72,389
Lowell 616-897-8457 3983 yes yes 12,937
Plainfield Twp. 24946
Rockford 616-866-1537 3750 yes yes 37,443
Sand Lake 456 Br. Grd. Rapids
Sparta 3968 40139
Walker 616-453-6311 17279 yes yes 19,914
Wyoming 616-530-7226 63891 yes yes 91,155
------- Fire Department ------- Police
Community Class. FT Paid PT/Volunt. (Full-Time) Solid Waste
Ada Twp. 6/9 1 17
Alpine Twp. 5/9 32
Byron Twp. 6/9 16
Cannon Twp. 5/9 2 15
Cascade Twp. 6/9
Cedar Springs 6 19 7 Independent
E. Grand Rapids 5 17 10 30 Municipal
Gaines Twp. 7/9 19
Grand Rapids 3 271 287 Municipal
Grand Rpds Twp. 7/9 3 12
Grandville 5 3 21 18 Independent
Kentwood 6 24 14 43 Independent
Lowell 6 26 6 Independent
Plainfield Twp. 6/9 4 34
Rockford 5 1 19 8 Independent
Sand Lake 6 21 1
Sparta 6 29 8
Walker 5/9 43 29 Yes
Wyoming 5 26 60 78 Independent
County Sheriff Officers: 126 Licensed Landfills in County: 3
Other communities in Kent County (1990 population for incorporated communities
in parenthesis):
Algoma Twp. (5496), Alto, Belmont, Bowne Twp. (1907), Byron Center, Caledonia
(885), Caledonia Twp. (6254), Cannonsburg, Clifford, Comstock Park, Courtland
Twp. (3950), Cutlerville, Dutton, Evans, Grattan Twp. (2876), Kent City (899),
Lowell Twp. (4774), Nelson Twp. (3406), Oakfield Twp. (3842), Sand Lake (456),
Solon Twp. (3648), Sparta Twp. (8447), Spencer Twp. (3184), Tyrone Twp. (3757),
Vergennes Twp. (2492)
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
K-12 Instruc. High
Community School District Students Staff Schools
Cedar Springs Cedar Springs Public 2542 108 1
E. Grand Rapids E. Grand Rapids Public 2473 122 1
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids City 22455 839 4
Grand Rapids Northview Public 2972 155 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Public 5888 302 2
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills Public 2769 129 1
Grandville Grandville Public 4582 185 1
Kentwood Kentwood Public 7295 382 1
Lowell Lowell Area 3066 133 1
Rockford Rockford Public 5674 263 1
Sparta Sparta Area 2769 116 1
Wyoming Wyoming Public 5098 257 2
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
Name and Location Enrollment
Aquinas College, Grand Rapids 2574
Calvin College, Grand Rapids 4013
Davenport College of Business, Grand Rapids 4077
Grand Rapids Baptist College, Grand Rapids 925
Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids 12953
Grand Valley State University, Allendale 12565
Jordan College, Grand Rapids 2090
Kendall School of Design, Grand Rapids 650
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Hospitals in County: 7 Total Beds: 2186
Nearest Large Medical Center: Grand Rapids
Extended Care Facilities: 25 Total Beds: 2882
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County: 1070
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
Owner occupied: 126627 (69.7%) Median Home Value: $68,200.00
Renter occupied: 55113 (30.3%) Median Contract Rent: $381.00
Churches: Catholic: 31 Protestant: 297
Synagogues: 3
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
Grand Rapids Art Museum; Grand Rapids Public Museum; Gerald R. Ford Museum,
Grand Rapids; John Ball Zoological Gardens; Fish Ladder Sculpture, Grand
Rapids; Voigt House, Grand Rapids; Squires Street Square, Rockford. Amway
Corp. Tours, Ada; Wolverine World Wide Factory, Rockford; Red Flannel
Factory, Cedar Springs. Aquinas College; Grand Rapids Junior College;
Calvin College; Kendall School of Design; Davenport College of Business;
Grand Rapids Baptist College.
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
General Building Contractors 171
Metalworking Machinery 112
Commercial Printing 89
Advertising 54
Personnel Supply Services 66
Computer and Data Processing Services 95
Legal Services 201
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping 145
Retail Establishments 2861
Wholesale Establishments 1276
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986): 4399
Television Channels: 6 plus cable
Radio Stations: 18
Newspapers: Grand Rapids Press; Weeklies: Advance Newspapers (10 editions),
Cadence, Grand Rapids Times, Grand Valley Ledger
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993) Offices
Main Office in County
Byron Center State Bank Byron Center 2
Comerica Bank Detroit 17
First Federal of Michigan Detroit 6
First of America Bank-West Michigan Grand Rapids 13
FMB-First Michigan Bank Zeeland 3
FMB-First Michigan Bank-Grand Rapids Grand Rapids 9
FMB-State Savings Bank Lowell 3
Founders Trust Personal Bank Grand Rapids 1
Grand Bank Grand Rapids 1
Great Lakes Bancorp, A Federal Savings Ann Arbor 3
Independent Bank-West Michigan Rockford 4
Kent City State Bank Kent City 2
Michigan National Bank Farmington Hills 17
NBD Bank, NA Detroit 39
Old Kent Bank and Trust Company Grand Rapids 40
Ottawa Savings Bank FSB Holland 1
Sparta State Bank Sparta 2
State Bank of Caledonia Caledonia 2
The Hastings City Bank Hastings 1
United Bank of Michigan Grand Rapids 7
West Side Federal Savings & Loan Assoc. Grand Rapids 1
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
Earnings
Employment ($ millions)
1985 1990 1985 1990
Total Employment 279239 334570
Total Income $6,500.03 $9,386.48
Earnings by Place of Work $5,621.50 $8,179.10
Components by Type:
Wage and Salary 246745 297064 $4,718.50 $6,835.93
Proprietors 32494 37506 $430.44 $682.86
Farm 1749 1506 $10.98 $16.17
Nonfarm 30745 36000 $419.46 $666.69
Components by Industry:
Farm 2913 2438 $20.85 $27.32
Nonfarm 276326 332132 $5,600.65 $8,151.78
Private 254389 306920 $5,163.00 $7,479.27
Agric./For./Fish. 1487 2085 $15.62 $30.89
Mining 621 356 $24.82 $13.99
Construction 11944 16902 $293.92 $505.82
Manufacturing 72099 74745 $2,111.86 $2,633.09
Non-Durable Goods --- --- $571.40 $757.12
Durable Goods --- --- $1,540.45 $1,875.96
Transp. & Utilities 10012 10923 $272.88 $319.27
Wholesale Trade 18886 25588 $489.13 $797.93
Retail Trade 53667 68162 $613.58 $886.92
Fin./Ins./Real Est. 17903 21015 $247.00 $403.57
Services 67770 87144 $1,094.18 $1,887.79
Government 21937 25212 $437.65 $672.51
Federal 1965 2671 $57.59 $97.21
Military, Civilian 1081 1123 $6.00 $7.75
State and Local 18891 21418 $374.06 $567.56
Earnings by Place of Residence $4,649.49 $6,653.88
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
Per Capita Income: 1985: $13,820.00 1990: $18,674.00
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