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CITY

Ironwood

Michigan · 4,950 residents (2025 est.) · 6.58 sq mi
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The short version

Ironwood is home to 4,997 people in Michigan. The median age is 47.9, about 9 years above the US median. The typical home is worth $83,100, having more than doubled since 2000. That trails the Michigan median by roughly 43%. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 23% of adults. The foreign-born share is 0%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 47.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 30%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
4,997
−21%since 2000
from 6,293 in 2000
4,950 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
760 / sq mi
−8%since 2009
from 829 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
47.9
+14%since 2000
from 42.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
6.58 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
5K5K6K6K7K19902000201020202024Ironwood
20245K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.9%(195)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 92.8%(140)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.5%(377)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.6%(229)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244%(198)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.7%(636)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.8%(638)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.3%(516)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.8%(692)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7413.7%(687)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 849.1%(454)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over4.7%(235)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$41,250
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $23,502 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,138
+113%since 2000
from $14,131 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
18.4%
+5.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.0%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 18.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.474
+9%since 2010
from 0.436 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Arts, entertainment, food3.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Finance & insurance3.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction2%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$83,100
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$622
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $358 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
72.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 71.8% in 2000
27.9% rent
Vacancy rate
15.7%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 17.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
1.89 people
−5%since 2009
from 1.98 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
16.4%
−9.9 ptssince 2009
from 26.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
34.9%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 42.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.0
−9%since 2009
from 2.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
33
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.8%(6,093)
Black0.1%(6)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(52)
Asian0.2%(14)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic92.4%(4,619)
Black0.2%(12)
Hispanic / Latino2.9%(147)
Asian0.8%(42)
Other3.5%(177)
Diversity Score
18
+16%since 2009
from 15 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2%(102)
Puerto Rican0.2%(12)
Cuban0.2%(8)
Spaniard0.1%(6)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.8%(39)
Korean0.1%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.2%(8)
Ancestry
German18.2%(909)
Italian15.8%(792)
Finnish15.8%(789)
Irish12.2%(609)
Polish10.6%(530)
Swedish9.4%(468)
English8.5%(427)
American5%(250)
Hungarian4.3%(217)
French3%(152)
Norwegian1.7%(85)
Dutch1.5%(75)
+ 12 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.5%(73)
Croatian1.3%(63)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(56)
Slovak0.8%(39)
Belgian0.7%(36)
Danish0.7%(33)
Serbian0.5%(25)
Lithuanian0.3%(17)
Swiss0.2%(12)
Romanian0.2%(8)
Russian0.2%(8)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Italian population · Largest Finnish population · Largest Irish population · Largest Polish population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
22.9%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 16.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.4%
+7.2 ptssince 2000
from 86.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.4%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 5.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
17.9 min
+44%since 2000
from 12.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
83.4%
+8.4 ptssince 2009
from 75.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.6%
−10.8 ptssince 2009
from 16.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.9%
+5.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
12.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
11.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2011
from 9.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
52.3%
−4.5 ptssince 2011
from 56.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 72.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.2%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 29.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Female
50.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Foreign born
0.4%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
10.4%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
20.8%
+2.1 ptssince 2012
from 18.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.3%
−13.4 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
84.7%
+27.5 ptssince 2017
from 57.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
87.8%
+11.5 ptssince 2020
from 76.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 93.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2016
from 97.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.8%
+3.2 ptssince 2016
from 0.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married41.5%(885)
Married41.1%(875)
Widowed2.5%(54)
Divorced14.9%(317)
Women 15+
Never married29.7%(639)
Married41.4%(891)
Widowed16.8%(361)
Divorced12.2%(263)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.3%
−13.4 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
30.2%
−5.6 ptssince 2020
from 35.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 17.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
29.6%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 30.4% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
43.3%
+11.1 ptssince 2020
from 32.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 4.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
45.6%
−6.9 ptssince 2020
from 52.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
69.3%
+10.7 ptssince 2020
from 58.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)33.6%(145)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)31.6%(136)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.8%(120)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.3%(23)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 431 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Ironwood, Michigan?

Ironwood, Michigan has about 4,997 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Ironwood, Michigan?

The typical household in Ironwood, Michigan earns about $41,250 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Ironwood, Michigan expensive?

In Ironwood, Michigan, the median home is worth about $83,100, and the typical rent is about $622 a month.

How educated are people in Ironwood, Michigan?

About 22.9% of adults age 25 and over in Ironwood, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Ironwood, Michigan?

About 17.0% of people in Ironwood, Michigan live below the federal poverty line.

Has Ironwood, Michigan grown since 1990?

Yes, Ironwood, Michigan has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 1,852 residents, a change of about -27 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →