East Lansing is a medium-sized city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 46,704 people and 15 constituent neighborhoods, East Lansing is the 33rd largest community in Michigan.

East Lansing is a decidedly white-collar city, with fully 92.65% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, East Lansing is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in East Lansing who work in office and administrative support jobs (16.86%), teaching (14.29%), and food service (11.89%).

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.

Because East Lansing has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local East Lansing lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in East Lansing is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In East Lansing, people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.

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

In addition to being popular with young singles, East Lansing is also home to many people who can be described as "urban sophisticates." While both of these categories describe educated professionals, urban sophisticates are quite a different demographic. Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness.' But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 14.87 minutes getting to work every day.

East Lansing Information and Demographics

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in East Lansing. 70.39% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 14.96%.

The per capita income in East Lansing in 2000 was $16,333, which is lower middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $65,332 for a family of four.

East Lansing is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call East Lansing home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in East Lansing is White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in East Lansing include German, Irish, English, Polish, Italian, and Dutch.

The most common language spoken in East Lansing is English. Some people also speak Spanish.