Lansing, MI — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Michigan·Lansing

Ingham County · Lansing-East Lansing · population 114,336

Affordability
Lansing, MI
Image: Wikipedia · Lansing, Michigan
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
71
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Lansing stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $166,132
1-year +3.3%
5-yr CAGR +5.6%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$166k$71k$105k$139k$173k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,218/mo$840$1,065$1,291202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131136100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.4
Buy

At a 11.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Lansing on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
67 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
52 · w16%
Rent YoY
76 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
82 · w10%
Long thesis

Lansing offers a $166,132 median home with +5.6% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Lansing's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Lansing

Lansing is a city in Ingham County, Michigan, with an estimated population of 114,336. It anchors the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. The median home value in Lansing is $166,132 as of 2026-04, up 3.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Lansing average $1,218 per month, up 4.7% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 71 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $166,132 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +3.3% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Lansing (Wikipedia)

Lansing is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a population of 112,644 at the 2020 census. The Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area has an estimated 473,000 residents and is the third largest in the state after metropolitan Detroit and Grand Rapids. Lansing benefits from its central location within Mid-Michigan and serves as a regional hub for government, education, insurance and commerce.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorAndy Schor
Area39.78 sq mi
Elevation853 ft
Settled1835
Density2877.68/sq mi
Named forLansing, New York

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Ingham County right now.

NWS active alerts (MI)Michigan Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Ingham County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Lansing

39 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Groesbeck$273,310+6.1%
2Waverly$265,963+2.2%
3Lewton Rich$224,046+3.6%
4Averill Woods$210,873+3.5%
5River Forest$203,940+7.8%
6Edgemont Park$201,926+4.7%
7Sycamore Park$201,124+4.2%
8Forest View$195,119+3.0%
9Colonial Village$179,680+6.1%
10Lady Hill$175,944-0.1%
11Eastfield$172,363+0.7%
12Lansing-Eaton$163,139-2.9%
13Downtown$162,670+12.5%
14Wexford Heights$161,996+6.1%
15Westside$158,267+3.1%
16Scott Woods$153,962+5.0%
17Churchill Downs$147,337+3.9%
18Moores Park$145,263+1.0%
19Shady Oak$142,391-0.7%
20Greencroft Park$140,877+7.5%
21Genesee$139,470+12.0%
22Old Everett$137,527+6.5%
23Clifford Park$136,112+5.2%
24Coachlight$132,376+3.0%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Lansing

Sterling Heights, MI68 · RisingPontiac, MI71 · RisingKalamazoo, MI68 · RisingGrand Rapids, MI69 · Rising

Run the numbers for Lansing

ToolCan I afford Lansing?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Lansing rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Lansing to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolLansing cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
30° / 16°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 61°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
175
~48% of year
Annual precip
33″ rain
50″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Lansing listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Lansing-East Lansing area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$68,500
Michigan state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)HealthcareTech (Detroit)

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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