Walker, Michigan

Population

Growing. Up 2.5% since 2020.

25,881

people, the 45th-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.

94.8%

of 24,959 jobs located in Walker are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2021. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 2.5%.

3.0%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.1%.

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 93% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,202

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 $2,204 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Kent County.

• $399 Tract 17
• $2,603 Tract 18.02

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

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,061–$1,591

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,202 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.

• 847 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 27% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 79% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–2.3% to the 10,861 homes here.

37–250

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 27% more than Michigan's.

$295,200

median home value in Walker.

• $295,200 Walker
• $231,600 Michigan
• $332,700 U.S.

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