Elevation of Grand Rapids
640ft
above sea level · 195 m
Grand Rapids is a city in Michigan with 201,183 people, the 2nd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 99th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 42.96° N · 85.67° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 42° 57′ 48″ N · 85° 40′ 5″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16T · 608,627 E · 4,757,607 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 201,183 people
- 44.8 sq mi of land · 4,493 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from January 2018: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Grand Rapids had 201,183 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.2% more than in April 2020, when it had 198,843. Its 44.8 sq mi of land work out to 4,493 people/sq mi; the state average is 179 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 745 places the Census counts in Michigan (cities, towns and CDPs), after Detroit (649,095), and holds 2.0% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Kent County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.6 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Grand Rapids sits at 640 ft (195 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Grand Rapids is 222 ft below it.
The state capital, Lansing, is 59 mi away in a straight line and 213 ft higher than Grand Rapids.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Milwaukee (Wisconsin), 113 mi away in a straight line and 25 ft lower.
Of the 7 cities in Michigan with a page, Grand Rapids is the 3rd highest: the highest is Ann Arbor (881 ft) and the lowest is Dearborn (591 ft).
The highest point in Michigan is Mount Arvon, at 1,979 ft according to the USGS: 1,339 ft above Grand Rapids, 289 mi away in a straight line.
- 99 Grand Rapids 640 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Grand Rapids.
What is the elevation of Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids is 640 feet (195 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Grand Rapids?
Latitude 42.96336 and longitude -85.66809, in decimal degrees (42° 57′ 48″ N · 85° 40′ 5″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 608,627 E and 4,757,607 N, on NAD83.
How does Grand Rapids rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 99th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Grand Rapids in?
Kent County, Michigan.
Which is higher, Grand Rapids or Lansing?
Lansing. Grand Rapids sits at 640 ft and Lansing at 853 ft: a difference of 213 ft, 59 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know