2025

Cities in Kent County, MI ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 36 cities in Kent County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Kent County

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  • 1
    Grand Rapids
    White population in Grand Rapids is 143,924
    63.84% of Grand Rapids population is White
  • 2
    Wyoming
    White population in Wyoming is 60,214
    66.78% of Wyoming population is White
  • 3
    Kentwood
    White population in Kentwood is 35,999
    59.70% of Kentwood population is White
  • 4
    Plainfield charter township
    White population in Plainfield charter township is 32,245
    89.36% of Plainfield charter township population is White
  • 5
    Byron township
    White population in Byron township is 24,449
    82.22% of Byron township population is White

List of 36 cities in Kent County, MI by White Population

View Methodology
Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Kent County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Grand Rapids 143,924 63.84% 25.91%
2 Wyoming 60,214 66.78% 10.84%
3 Kentwood 35,999 59.70% 6.48%
4 Plainfield charter township 32,245 89.36% 5.80%
5 Byron township 24,449 82.22% 4.40%
6 Gaines charter township 23,317 71.80% 4.20%
7 Walker 22,966 86.02% 4.13%
8 18,634 90.96% 3.35%
9 17,337 87.14% 3.12%
10 15,635 91.53% 2.81%
11 14,615 83.56% 2.63%
12 14,026 93.04% 2.52%
13 13,765 89.39% 2.48%
14 12,522 82.23% 2.25%
15 11,481 89.79% 2.07%
16 10,926 92.05% 1.97%
17 9,213 92.55% 1.66%
18 8,717 94.99% 1.57%
19 6,246 89.55% 1.12%
20 6,108 84.63% 1.10%
21 6,048 92.12% 1.09%
22 6,026 91.05% 1.08%
23 4,990 93.24% 0.90%
24 4,900 93.10% 0.88%
25 4,480 91.60% 0.81%
26 4,142 92.31% 0.75%
27 4,134 95.08% 0.74%
28 4,034 94.23% 0.73%
29 3,785 95.03% 0.68%
30 3,563 88.50% 0.64%
31 3,248 92.85% 0.58%
32 1,829 89.26% 0.33%
33 1,177 88.23% 0.21%
34 466 87.10% 0.08%
35 352 36.74% 0.06%
35 352 36.74% 0.06%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Kent County, MI by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Kent County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.