CensusEasy
COUNTY

Houghton County

Michigan · 37,842 residents (2025 est.) · 1,009.101 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Houghton micropolitan area
Compare
Notable rankings
#103Youngest by median ageof 3,14432.2
The short version

Houghton County has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $58,899. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $159,900. At a median age of 32.2, residents skew younger than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 32.2
US median: 38.9
Average education
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 54%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
37,693
+5%since 2000
from 36,016 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
37 / sq mi
+7%since 2009
from 35 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
32.2
−5%since 2000
from 34.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:37,842 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
35K36K36K37K38K1990201020202024Houghton County
202438K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(1,870)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(2,018)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.7%(2,160)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1911.5%(4,345)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2414.2%(5,370)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411%(4,150)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 449.5%(3,564)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549%(3,408)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.7%(4,033)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.3%(3,893)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(2,138)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(744)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,899
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $28,817 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$31,893
+112%since 2000
from $15,078 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
41.0%
+25.4 ptssince 2009
from 15.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 16.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.464
+1%since 2010
from 0.459 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade10.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services3.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration2.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical2.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$159,900
+54%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $57,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$840
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $368 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
71.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 71.4% in 2000
28.2% rent
Vacancy rate
24.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
15.1%
−10.1 ptssince 2009
from 25.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
51.0%
−8.7 ptssince 2009
from 59.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
+4%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
83
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Houghton County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.1%(34,239)
Black0.9%(334)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(251)
Asian1.8%(643)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic90.9%(34,270)
Black1.1%(416)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(697)
Asian2.9%(1,084)
Other3.3%(1,226)
Diversity Score
21
+53%since 2009
from 14 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
28
−17%since 2020
from 34 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican1.1%(430)
Puerto Rican0.2%(57)
Spaniard0.1%(49)
Colombian0.1%(41)
Cuban0.1%(26)
Chilean0%(6)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Chinese0.7%(268)
Filipino0.2%(70)
Bangladeshi0.2%(62)
Pakistani0.1%(56)
Korean0.1%(54)
Vietnamese0.1%(54)
Japanese0.1%(32)
Thai0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(3)
Ancestry
Finnish25.3%(9,532)
German17%(6,398)
English8.7%(3,273)
Irish8.5%(3,205)
Italian6%(2,278)
French4.7%(1,757)
Polish4.5%(1,706)
Swedish4.5%(1,681)
American3.1%(1,159)
Dutch2.4%(888)
Norwegian1.8%(686)
+ 36 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.5%(562)
Croatian1%(376)
Hungarian0.6%(217)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(209)
Russian0.4%(156)
Czech0.4%(155)
Slovene0.4%(151)
Welsh0.3%(124)
Nigerian0.3%(106)
Lithuanian0.2%(94)
Iranian0.2%(83)
Austrian0.2%(78)
Ukrainian0.2%(75)
British0.2%(71)
Swiss0.2%(66)
Arab0.2%(64)
Kenyan0.2%(61)
Danish0.2%(59)
Belgian0.2%(58)
Lebanese0.1%(56)
Canadian0.1%(55)
Slovak0.1%(43)
Greek0.1%(36)
Turkish0.1%(35)
Romanian0.1%(31)
Macedonian0.1%(29)
Brazilian0%(15)
Somali0%(11)
Haitian0%(5)
Syrian0%(4)
Latvian0%(4)
RANKED:Largest Finnish population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.2%
+14.3 ptssince 2000
from 23.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.5%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.6%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
15.6 min
+47%since 2000
from 10.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
63.7%
−4.6 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.1%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.0%
+6.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
10.4%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.7%
−3.0 ptssince 2011
from 8.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
57.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2011
from 58.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
16.8%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 19.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
42.5%
−20.8 ptssince 2009
from 63.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
54.7%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 53.8% in 2009
Female
45.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 46.2% in 2009
Foreign born
5.3%
+2.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.7%
−47.7 ptssince 2009
from 54.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.5% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.1%
−84.2 ptssince 2013
from 89.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.7%
+15.9 ptssince 2017
from 72.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
93.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 93.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 0.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married50.3%(8,778)
Married40.7%(7,089)
Widowed2.3%(401)
Divorced6.7%(1,169)
Women 15+
Never married34.5%(4,907)
Married47.5%(6,745)
Widowed6.6%(940)
Divorced11.4%(1,616)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Houghton County

Tallapoosa County
Pop 40,953
Franklin County
Pop 36,916
Independence County
Pop 38,785
Siskiyou County
Pop 42,013
Places similar to Houghton County
Head to head

Compare Houghton County to nearby counties

HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
Baraga County
Income$55,327−6%
Home value$138,100−14%
Population8,169−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
Keweenaw County
Income$52,583−11%
Home value$169,800+6%
Population2,186−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
Ontonagon County
Income$54,398−8%
Home value$111,700−30%
Population5,823−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
Marquette County
Income$65,429+11%
Home value$216,500+35%
Population68,064+80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Houghton County, Michigan?

Houghton County, Michigan has about 37,693 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Houghton County, Michigan?

The typical household in Houghton County, Michigan earns about $58,899 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Houghton County, Michigan expensive?

In Houghton County, Michigan, the median home is worth about $159,900, and the typical rent is about $840 a month.

How educated are people in Houghton County, Michigan?

About 37.2% of adults age 25 and over in Houghton County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Houghton County, Michigan?

About 16.5% of people in Houghton County, Michigan live below the federal poverty line.

Has Houghton County, Michigan grown since 1990?

Yes, Houghton County, Michigan has grown since 1990. The population has added about 2,247 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

12 census tracts
Census Tract 8Census Tract 9Census Tract 5Census Tract 6Census Tract 2Census Tract 4Census Tract 7Census Tract 1Census Tract 10Census Tract 3Census Tract 9900Census Tract 9901
18 ZIP codes
ZIP 49931ZIP 49913ZIP 49930ZIP 49916ZIP 49945ZIP 49905ZIP 49958ZIP 49922ZIP 49934ZIP 49965ZIP 49963ZIP 49955ZIP 49967ZIP 49921ZIP 49917ZIP 49952ZIP 49961ZIP 49942
Up the hierarchy
All counties in Michigan
Rankings
Highest income countiesLowest poverty counties

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

How we source and harmonize this data →