ZIP Code 49544 — Walker city, MI Demographics & Data

ZIP code 49544 covers Walker, MI in Kent County with a population of about 9,918.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.1 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 616; U.S. House district MI-3; the GRAND RAPIDS - KALMZOO - B. CRK media market.

Median household income in ZIP 49544 is about $69,706 — about 7% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 10.3%; unemployment rate near 4.3%; 33.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (roughly in line with the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Retail trade, and Healthcare; about 9.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 5.8 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $247,500 — about 29% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,027 (about 12% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 64.3% (about 1.1 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 49544 in Walker, MI, a household would need roughly $68,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,590. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($69,706). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Walker city, MI as Relatively Moderate (composite score 92.2), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (94.8) and wildfire (42.6). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Walker city, MI show little to no average snow and around 39.6 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 388 for ZIP 49544 (Walker city, MI) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.