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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

East Lansing, MI
Real Estate & Demographic Data






East Lansing profile


Living in East Lansing



East Lansing is a medium-sized city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 47,340 people and 19 associated neighborhoods, East Lansing is the 31st largest community in Michigan. East Lansing has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in East Lansing, where the median household income is $94,625.00.

Of important note, East Lansing is also a city of artists. East Lansing has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape East Lansing’s character.

Also of interest is that East Lansing has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in East Lansing telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 22.28% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, East Lansing is a college town. There are a lot of students in East Lansing attending college, and as a result East Lansing provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared to the needs and activities of students.

East Lansing, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

If knowledge is power, East Lansing is a pretty powerful place. 66.51% of the adults in East Lansing have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in East Lansing in 2018 was $45,358, which is wealthy relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $181,432 for a family of four. However, East Lansing contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

East Lansing is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call East Lansing home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of East Lansing residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in East Lansing include German, Polish, Irish, Italian, and English.

The most common language spoken in East Lansing is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Polish.