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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Houghton County

Michigan · 37,361 residents · 1,009 sq mi
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Houghton County is a county of 37,361 people in Michigan. This skews young, with a median age of 33.6. The typical home is worth $113,700, having more than doubled since 2000. Getting to work takes 17 minutes on average. That trails the Michigan median by roughly 24%. Median rent is $639 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 33.6
US median: 38.8
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 33%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
37,361
+4%since 2000
from 36,016 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
33.6
−1%since 2000
from 34.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,009 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
35K36K36K37K38K19902000201020202024Houghton County
202438K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.2%(1,944)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(2,010)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.9%(2,212)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 1910%(3,733)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2413.8%(5,161)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3411.1%(4,133)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 449.4%(3,509)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 549.4%(3,526)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.7%(4,354)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.4%(3,888)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.5%(2,063)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.2%(828)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$44,839
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $28,817 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$24,881
+65%since 2000
from $15,078 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
28.5%
+12.9 ptssince 2009
from 15.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
19.0%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 16.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information12.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade8.2%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade5.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services4%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance3.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Public administration2.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Professional, scientific, technical2.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 2%
Construction1.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$113,700
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $57,000 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$639
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $368 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
69.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2000
from 71.4% in 2000
30.5% rent
Persons per household
2.39 people
+6%since 2009
from 2.26 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.5
−3%since 2009
from 2.6 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.1%(34,239)
Black0.9%(334)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(251)
Asian1.8%(643)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic90.6%(33,854)
Black0.7%(280)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(669)
Asian2.3%(855)
Other2.4%(914)
Segregation Score
34
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%(410)
Spaniard0.1%(44)
Puerto Rican0.1%(32)
Argentine0.1%(26)
Colombian0.1%(25)
Cuban0%(11)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.1%(390)
Chinese1%(345)
Korean0.3%(109)
Filipino0.1%(52)
Vietnamese0.1%(33)
Japanese0.1%(28)
Pakistani0%(13)
Taiwanese0%(11)
Cambodian0%(10)
Thai0%(10)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Laotian0%(5)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(12)
Ancestry
Finnish27.6%(9,912)
German18%(6,474)
English9.7%(3,471)
French7.6%(2,731)
Irish7.6%(2,731)
American6%(2,170)
Polish5.4%(1,929)
Italian5.4%(1,924)
Swedish5.2%(1,861)
Norwegian2.5%(906)
Croatian2.3%(813)
+ 35 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch2.1%(756)
Scottish1.6%(568)
Danish0.7%(235)
Russian0.6%(202)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(199)
Hungarian0.5%(194)
British0.5%(181)
Czech0.5%(179)
Austrian0.4%(156)
Arab0.4%(142)
Greek0.3%(118)
Ukrainian0.3%(112)
Welsh0.3%(101)
Slovene0.3%(94)
Lithuanian0.2%(75)
Canadian0.2%(70)
Swiss0.2%(70)
Turkish0.1%(53)
Armenian0.1%(50)
Belgian0.1%(49)
Slovak0.1%(49)
Lebanese0.1%(37)
Macedonian0.1%(36)
Nigerian0.1%(30)
Serbian0.1%(28)
Romanian0.1%(25)
Iranian0.1%(20)
Brazilian0%(16)
Latvian0%(3)
Haitian0%(1)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
33.6%
+10.6 ptssince 2000
from 23.0% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
92.8%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
14.7%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.7 min
+57%since 2000
from 10.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
71.2%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
9.9%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.9%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 8.7% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
55.0%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 58.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.8%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
39.7%
+7.6 ptssince 2009
from 32.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
54.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 53.8% in 2009
Female
45.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 46.2% in 2009
Foreign born
5.2%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
7.0%
−3.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
88.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
81.7%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.0%
−3.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
53.8%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
17.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.8%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
21.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
3.2%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
69.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
38.2%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.3%(335)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)18.1%(395)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era39%(853)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8.9%(194)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.7%(58)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 2,185 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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Head to head

Compare Houghton County to nearby counties

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HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
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HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
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Income$54,398+21%
Home value$111,700−2%
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HOUGHTON COUNTY VS
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Home value$216,500+90%
Population68,064+80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Houghton County, Michigan?

Houghton County, Michigan has about 37,361 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Houghton County, Michigan earns about $44,839 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 $113,700, and the typical rent is about $639 a month.

How educated are people in Houghton County, Michigan?

About 33.6% 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 19.0% 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 1,915 residents, a change of about 5 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 →