East Lansing, Michigan

Population

Growing. Up 2.8% since 2020.

49,355

people, the 26th-largest of Michigan's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Michigan's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

92.8%

of 31,559 jobs located in East Lansing are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2021. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 4.6%.

5.3%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 5.7%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 53% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,171

a month. Michigan's median is $1,129.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,380 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Ingham County.

• $377 Tract 50.02
• $1,757 Tract 50.03

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,191–$1,787

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,171 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2021 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 9 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 22% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 79% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 1–2% to the 15,638 homes here.

126–316

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2021 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 17% more than Michigan's.

$270,800

median home value in East Lansing.

• $270,800 East Lansing
• $231,600 Michigan
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year