In addition, Allendale is a major college town that has a very high percentage of its residents over 18 years old who are college students. Naturally, collegiate life has a major influence on local Allendale culture, lifestyle and entertainment options. Allendale really pulses to the beat of the academic calendar. In Allendale every fall, returning students reinvigorate the community, who you will notice are all over town, buying groceries, out with friends, and getting acquainted or re-acquainted with each other and Allendale. One of the beneficial effects that colleges provide is that they tend to be lasting institutions that deliver direct economic benefits to the local economy in the form of such things as jobs for faculty and staff, and spending by students. Allendale benefits directly from this.
The education level of Allendale citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 39.06% of adults in Allendale have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Allendale in 2018 was $24,332, which is low income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $97,328 for a family of four. However, Allendale contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Allendale also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.11% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Allendale is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Allendale home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Allendale residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Allendale include German, Dutch, Irish, Polish, and English.
The most common language spoken in Allendale is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
