Houghton, MI

Census Place

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2024 Population
8,474
US Senator
Gary Peters
Democratic Party
US Senator
Elissa Slotkin
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
21.7
0.913% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
40.1%
14.7% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$43,456
22.7% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$254,500
8.9% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
3,735
2.44% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Houghton, 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.

86.3% of the residents in Houghton, MI are U.S. citizens.

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

In 2024, the median property value in Houghton, MI was $254,500, and the homeownership rate was 36.9%.

Most people in Houghton, MI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 10.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Houghton, MI was 2 cars per household.

United StatesMichiganHoughton County, MIHoughton, MIWestern Upper Peninsula PUMA, MI

Population & Diversity

Houghton, MI is home to a population of 8.47k people, from which 86.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 15.9% of Houghton, MI residents were born outside of the country (1.35k people).

In 2024, there were 8.68 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.69k people) in Houghton, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 771 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 230 Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

86.3%
2024 Citizenship
87%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 86.3% of Houghton, MI residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Houghton, MI was 87%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Houghton, MI
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    6.69k ± 376
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    771 ± 138
  3. Other (Non-Hispanic)
    230 ± 354
2.91%
Hispanic Population
247 people

In 2024, there were 8.68 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.69k people) in Houghton, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 771 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 230 Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

2.91% of the people in Houghton, MI are hispanic (247 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Michigan.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    80,580 ± 6,941 people
  2. India
    77,204 ± 6,795 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

15.9%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
1.35k people
14.8%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.23k people

As of 2024, 15.9% of Houghton, MI residents (1.35k 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, MI was 14.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    42 ± 52
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    27 ± 36
  3. Korea
    22 ± 31

Houghton, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Houghton, MI employs 3.74k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Houghton, MI were Educational Services (1,466 people), Accommodation & Food Services (437 people), and Retail Trade (393 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($113,125), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($53,611), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,186).

Employment

Occupations

3.74k
2024 Value
± 445
2.44%
1 Year growth
± 16.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houghton, MI grew at a rate of 2.44%, from 3.65k employees to 3.74k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Houghton, MI, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (791 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (510 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (316 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Houghton, MI.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

3.74k
2024 Value
± 445
2.44%
1 Year growth
± 16.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houghton, MI grew at a rate of 2.44%, from 3.65k employees to 3.74k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Houghton, MI, are Educational Services (1,466 people), Accommodation & Food Services (437 people), and Retail Trade (393 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Houghton, MI, though some of these residents may live in Houghton, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$13,670
Median earning men ± $6,627
$13,049
Median earning women ± $4,184

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($91,105), Manufacturing ($51,625), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($24,265).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,750), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($44,931), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($35,341).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Houghton, MI. Showing the available data for Michigan.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (49.7%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.3%)
    Democratic Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Michigan

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.
Gary Peters
Senator from Michigan2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015
Elissa Slotkin
Senator from Michigan1
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.

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Education

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

Most students graduating from Universities in Houghton, 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, MI by number of degrees awarded are Michigan Technological University (1,756 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Houghton, 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 in Houghton, MI 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, 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 7,313 students enrolled in Houghton, 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.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Mechanical Engineering
    274 degrees awarded
  2. Electrical & Electronics Engineering
    85 degrees awarded
  3. Chemical Engineering
    78 degrees awarded

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

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

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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.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,227 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Houghton, 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.

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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.

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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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Houghton, MI was $254,500 in 2024, which is 0.765 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $233,700 to $254,500, a 8.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Houghton, MI is 36.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Houghton, MI have an average commute time of 10.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Houghton, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$254,500
Median Property Value 2024
±$35,540
$830
Median Property Taxes
±$165

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, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

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Rent vs Own

36.9%
Homeownership
2024
63.4%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 36.9% of the housing units in Houghton, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 37.7%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$43,456
Median Household Income
± $10,793
2.25k
Number of Households
± 374

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.25k households in Houghton, MI grew to $43,456 from the previous year's value of $35,417.

The following chart displays the households in Houghton, 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 < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Houghton, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (43.4%)
  2. Walked (28.7%)
  3. Worked At Home (10.2%)

In 2024, 43.4% of workers in Houghton, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (28.7%) and those who worked at home (10.2%).

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.

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Commute Time

10.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Houghton, MI have a shorter commute time (10.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.298% of the workforce in Houghton, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

40.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Houghton, MI (1.97k out of 4.9k 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 Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Houghton, 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.

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Health

96.9% of the population of Houghton, MI has health coverage, with 60.5% on employee plans, 8.9% on Medicaid, 5.12% on Medicare, 20.9% on non-group plans, and 1.43% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Michigan see 1,276 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,276 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1246 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 281 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 61.5% were men and 38.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 57.8% between 18 and 34 years, 13.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 7.36% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 61.5% were men and 38.5% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

3.14%
Uninsured
60.5%
Employer Coverage
8.9%
Medicaid
5.12%
Medicare
20.9%
Non-Group
1.43%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Houghton, MI declined by 23% from 4.07% to 3.14%.

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

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