Houghton County, MI

County

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2024 Population

37,693

US Senator

Gary Peters

Democratic Party

US Senator

Elissa Slotkin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.2

0.31% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

16.5%

3.58% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$58,899

4.11% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$159,900

14% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

16,837

0.93% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Houghton County, MI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.3% of the residents in Houghton County, MI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Houghton County, MI are Michigan Technological University (1,756 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Houghton County, MI was $159,900, and the homeownership rate was 71.8%.

Most people in Houghton County, MI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Houghton County, MI was 2 cars per household.

Houghton County, MI borders Baraga County, MI, Iron County, MI, Keweenaw County, MI, Marquette County, MI, and Ontonagon County, MI.

United States Michigan Houghton, MI

Population & Diversity

Houghton County, MI is home to a population of 37.7k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.34% of Houghton County, MI residents were born outside of the country (2.01k people).

In 2024, there were 31.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.3k people) in Houghton County, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.08k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 574 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Houghton County, MI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Houghton County, MI was 96.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Houghton County, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Houghton County, MI

White (Non-Hispanic)
34.3k ± 360
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.08k ± 122
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
574 ± 182

1.85%

Hispanic Population

697 people

1.85% of the people in Houghton County, MI are hispanic (697 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Houghton County, MI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Michigan.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
80,580 ± 6,941 people
India
77,204 ± 6,795 people
Iraq
54,457 ± 5,714 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Michigan was Mexico, the natal country of 80,580 Michigan residents, followed by India with 77,204 and Iraq with 54,457.

Foreign-Born Population

5.34%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.01k people

5.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.99k people

As of 2024, 5.34% of Houghton County, MI residents (2.01k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Houghton County, MI was 5.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Houghton County, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
742 ± 104
Gulf War (2001-)
359 ± 112
Gulf War (1990s)
294 ± 90

Houghton County, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.07 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Houghton County, MI.

Economy

The economy of Houghton County, MI employs 16.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Houghton County, MI were Educational Services (3,465 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,159 people), and Manufacturing (1,801 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($91,134), Wholesale Trade ($65,221), and Public Administration ($58,659).

Employment

Occupations

16.8k

2024 Value

± 769

−0.93%

1 Year decline

± 6.54%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houghton County, MI declined at a rate of −0.93%, from 17k employees to 16.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Houghton County, MI, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (2,037 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,552 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (1,508 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Houghton County, MI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Michigan (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

16.8k

2024 Value

± 769

−0.93%

1 Year decline

± 6.54%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houghton County, MI declined at a rate of −0.93%, from 17k employees to 16.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Houghton County, MI, are Educational Services (3,465 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,159 people), and Manufacturing (1,801 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Houghton County, MI, though some of these residents may live in Houghton County, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,141

Median earning men ± $4,099

$29,508

Median earning women ± $2,395

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($71,364), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($69,722), and Wholesale Trade ($65,570).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($57,604), Construction ($42,250), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($41,765).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

Y-Axis

2.16%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.37M people employed in Michigan. This represents a 2.16% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 23.6%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Michigan.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

81
Construction
61
Other Services (except Public Administration)
58
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$80.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$52.1k
Manufacturing
$48.8k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing the state of Michigan. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Michigan is currently represented by 13 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Houghton County, MI. Showing the available data for Michigan.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (49.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.3%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.788%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Michigan for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Michigan

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

Gary Peters

Senator from Michigan

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Elissa Slotkin

Senator from Michigan

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing Michigan.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Michigan over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Houghton County, MI awarded 1,756 degrees. The student population of Houghton County, MI in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 5,111 male students and 2,202 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Houghton County, MI are White (1,276 and 86.6%), Two or More Races (56 and 3.8%), Asian (44 and 2.99%), and Hispanic or Latino (43 and 2.92%).

The largest universities in Houghton County, MI by number of degrees awarded are Michigan Technological University (1,756 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Houghton County, MI are Mechanical Engineering (412 and 23.5%), Electrical & Electronics Engineering (94 and 5.35%), and Chemical Engineering (89 and 5.07%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $19,429 for in-state students and $42,771 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Houghton County, MI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 7,313 (69.9% men and 30.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 7,313 students enrolled in Houghton County, MI, 69.9% men and 30.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,516 records, of which 29.9% were women and 70.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
274 degrees awarded
Electrical & Electronics Engineering
85 degrees awarded
Chemical Engineering
78 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Houghton County, MI was Mechanical Engineering with 274 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Houghton County, MI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Michigan Technological University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,756 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Michigan Technological University with 1,756 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,227 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Houghton County, MI, which is 2.32 times more than the 529 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,276 degrees mean that there were 22.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 56 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($19,429) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($318) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Houghton County, MI was $159,900 in 2024, which is 0.481 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $140,300 to $159,900, a 14% increase. The homeownership rate in Houghton County, MI is 71.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Houghton County, MI have an average commute time of 15.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Houghton County, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Houghton County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.6%.

Housing

Property

$159,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,874

$10,271

Median Property Taxes

±$506

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Houghton County, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Houghton County, MI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71.8%

Homeownership

2024

62.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.8% of the housing units in Houghton County, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 71.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Houghton County, MI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,899

Median Household Income

± $3,371

14.3k

Number of Households

± 668

In 2024, the median household income of the 14.3k households in Houghton County, MI grew to $58,899 from the previous year's value of $56,573.

The following chart displays the households in Houghton County, MI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Houghton County, MI is from Michigan.

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Michigan

0.466

2022 Wage GINI in Michigan

In 2023, the income inequality in Michigan was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.92% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Michigan was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Michigan in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Michigan across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (63.7%)
Worked At Home (11%)
Walked (10.4%)

In 2024, 63.7% of workers in Houghton County, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11%) and those who walked to work (10.4%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

15.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Houghton County, MI have a shorter commute time (15.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.5% of the workforce in Houghton County, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Houghton County, MI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Houghton County, MI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Houghton County, MI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Houghton County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

16.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Houghton County, MI (5.51k out of 33.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Houghton County, MI is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 14% of the children was living in poverty in Houghton County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 156 in Houghton County, MI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 60.8 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.9% of the population of Houghton County, MI has health coverage, with 46.8% on employee plans, 15.8% on Medicaid, 12.5% on Medicare, 17.9% on non-group plans, and 1.91% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Houghton County, MI see 1,435 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,435 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1372 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 432 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54.7% were men and 45.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,435 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Houghton County, MI

Primary care physicians in Houghton County, MI see an average of 1,435 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,435 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Houghton County, MI in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.6% under 18 years, 29.6% between 18 and 34 years, 29.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54.7% were men and 45.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.09%

Uninsured

46.8%

Employer Coverage

15.8%

Medicaid

12.5%

Medicare

17.9%

Non-Group

1.91%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Houghton County, MI declined by 15.1% from 5.99% to 5.09%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Houghton County, MI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 36.2 in Houghton County, MI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Houghton County, MI.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 34.2% in Houghton County, MI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Houghton County, MI.