Big Rapids is a somewhat small city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 7,912 people and six associated neighborhoods, Big Rapids is the 143rd largest community in Michigan.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Big Rapids is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Big Rapids is a city of service providers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Big Rapids who work in food service (11.64%), office and administrative support (10.22%), and sales jobs (9.55%). Big Rapids is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Big Rapids to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Big Rapids spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 16.04 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.The overall education level of Big Rapids citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 29.67% of adults in Big Rapids have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%. The per capita income in Big Rapids in 2022 was $19,854, which is low income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $79,416 for a family of four. However, Big Rapids contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Big Rapids also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 33.56% of its population below the federal poverty line.Big Rapids is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Big Rapids home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Big Rapids residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Big Rapids include German, Irish, English, Polish, and Dutch. The most common language spoken in Big Rapids is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
