City safety & data profile

Forest HillsMI

Forest Hills, MI is a 26K-resident city in Kent County with a median household income of $158,005.

Kent County, Michigan. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Forest Hills, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Forest Hills has a population larger than 57% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $498,500.

Data updated 2026-07-18

26K
Population
Top 43%
By size
$158,005
Median income
$498,500
Median home
3%
Poverty rate

The read on Forest Hills

Forest Hills posts a median household income higher than 94% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 6%
by median income, US cities

Where Forest Hills income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$158,005 Top 6% higher than 94% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). This entry sits in this band. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MI $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Forest Hills, MI beyond the headline numbers

Forest Hills sits inside Kent County, Michigan, at roughly 42.96°N, -85.49°W. Population 25,867, $158,005 median household income. Median home value $498,500, median rent $1,958. Poverty rate 3%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Forest Hills's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 30.6%, then obesity at 29.6%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Forest Hills from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
25,867
Forest Hills
Median Income
$158,005
+132% vs avg
Median Home Value
$498,500
+119% vs avg
Median Age
42.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Kent County) - Forest Hills's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
663K+9%
Median Income
$82,631+60%
Median Home Value
$289,900+111%
Poverty Rate
10.1%-35%
Unemployment
4.2%-58%

Economics

Economics indicators for Forest Hills, MI
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,958/mo
Poverty Rate
3% -79% vs avg
Unemployment 1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 70.9%
Work From Home 22.5%
Public Transit 0.6%

Population

White 87.9%
African American 0.3%
Asian 5%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
30.6%
Obesity
29.6%
Short Sleep Duration
27.9%
Binge Drinking
17.6%
Physical Inactivity
14.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
13%
Current Asthma
10.1%
Frequent Physical Distress
9.8%
Diabetes
8.5%
Current Smoking
7.9%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 81.1%
Annual Checkup 81.7%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
4.9%
Lack of Health Insurance
3.4%
Stroke
2.4%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Forest Hills, MI? ▼
Forest Hills, MI has a population of 25,867 people, located in Kent County, Michigan.
What is the median household income in Forest Hills? ▼
The median household income in Forest Hills, MI is $158,005 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 3%.
What is the median home value in Forest Hills? ▼
The median home value in Forest Hills, MI is $498,500. Median rent is $1,958/month.
What are the top health concerns in Forest Hills? ▼
The top health indicators in Forest Hills include High Blood Pressure (30.6%), Obesity (29.6%), Short Sleep Duration (27.9%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Forest Hills? ▼
The median age in Forest Hills, MI is 42.3 years. 70.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Forest Hills, MI is located in Kent County, Michigan. With a population of 26K and a $158,005 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and obesity. Safety alerts for the Forest Hills area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Michigan

Real-time AQI for every monitored Michigan location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

East Grand Rapids, MI 11K Northview, MI 15K Grand Rapids, MI 195K Kentwood, MI 51K Comstock Park, MI 10K Cutlerville, MI 14K Wyoming, MI 75K Grandville, MI 16K
All cities in Michigan → Compare Forest Hills vs East Grand Rapids → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Forest Hills's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Forest Hills area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Forest Hills against Michigan peers on any ranking lens. Explore Michigan

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Kent County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.