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COUNTY

Iron County

Michigan · 11,757 residents (2025 est.) · 1,166.096 sq mi
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#101Oldest by median ageof 3,14453.1#148Highest homeownership rateof 3,14484.5%
The short version

Iron County has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $55,940. Population has declined 11% since 2000. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $109,100. With a median age of 53.1, the population is older than the US median of 38.9.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 53.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
11,667
−11%since 2000
from 13,138 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
10 / sq mi
−2%since 2009
from 10 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
53.1
+17%since 2000
from 45.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:11,757 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
11K12K12K13K13K1990201020202024Iron County
202412K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.1%(477)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.3%(503)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146%(704)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.5%(528)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.8%(446)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 348.5%(992)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.1%(1,183)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.3%(1,199)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6416.9%(1,973)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7418.5%(2,153)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 849.1%(1,063)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over3.8%(446)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,940
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $28,560 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,784
+111%since 2000
from $16,506 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
35.8%
+22.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.0%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 11.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.456
+11%since 2010
from 0.411 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction3.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$109,100
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $51,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$716
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $346 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
84.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 82.4% in 2000
15.5% rent
Vacancy rate
39.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
21.1%
−6.1 ptssince 2009
from 27.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
36.4%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 40.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.0
−13%since 2009
from 2.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Iron County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.9%(12,601)
Black1.1%(144)
Hispanic / Latino0.6%(84)
Asian0.2%(26)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic90.6%(10,576)
Black0.9%(110)
Hispanic / Latino2.3%(268)
Asian0.6%(69)
Other5.5%(644)
Diversity Score
22
+81%since 2009
from 12 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
18
+10%since 2020
from 16 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
Mexican1.5%(177)
Puerto Rican0.3%(32)
Cuban0.1%(14)
Peruvian0.1%(7)
Asian origin
Chinese0.4%(46)
Filipino0.1%(12)
Thai0.1%(9)
Korean0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(12)
Chamorro0.1%(12)
Ancestry
German20.9%(2,435)
Italian14.2%(1,652)
Irish10.6%(1,235)
Finnish10.4%(1,212)
Polish9.7%(1,132)
English8.5%(992)
Swedish7.8%(915)
American4.5%(524)
French4.5%(523)
Norwegian3.3%(382)
Scottish2%(233)
Greek1.9%(220)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.7%(201)
Dutch1.2%(135)
Danish0.9%(102)
Austrian0.7%(82)
Belgian0.7%(80)
Croatian0.6%(72)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(69)
Bulgarian0.4%(52)
Lithuanian0.4%(43)
Slovak0.3%(38)
British0.3%(35)
Russian0.3%(34)
Welsh0.3%(31)
Swiss0.2%(26)
Canadian0.1%(16)
Arab0.1%(15)
Ukrainian0.1%(10)
Lebanese0.1%(9)
Hungarian0.1%(9)
Portuguese0.1%(8)
Romanian0.1%(7)
Latvian0%(3)
Slovene0%(2)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Italian population · Largest Irish population · Largest Finnish population · Largest Polish population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
22.5%
+8.8 ptssince 2000
from 13.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.7%
+9.9 ptssince 2000
from 84.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.2%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 4.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.0 min
+32%since 2000
from 15.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 80.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.6%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.6%
+8.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.4%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
47.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 49.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
16.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 15.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
32.1%
−24.9 ptssince 2009
from 57.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Female
49.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Foreign born
0.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
11.1%
−38.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
22.9%
+1.1 ptssince 2012
from 21.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.0%
−83.4 ptssince 2013
from 88.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.1%
+25.5 ptssince 2017
from 57.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
96.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 97.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 0.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.4%(1,550)
Married52%(2,656)
Widowed3.4%(172)
Divorced14.3%(729)
Women 15+
Never married19.4%(946)
Married51.4%(2,507)
Widowed14.3%(698)
Divorced14.9%(725)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Iron County to nearby counties

IRON COUNTY VS
Florence County
Income$61,086+9%
Home value$173,200+59%
Population4,748−60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
IRON COUNTY VS
Dickinson County
Income$65,156+16%
Home value$153,300+41%
Population25,827+120%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
IRON COUNTY VS
Forest County
Income$61,071+9%
Home value$185,000+70%
Population9,574−19%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
IRON COUNTY VS
Baraga County
Income$55,327−1%
Home value$138,100+27%
Population8,169−31%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Iron County, Michigan?

Iron County, Michigan has about 11,667 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Iron County, Michigan earns about $55,940 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Iron County, Michigan expensive?

In Iron County, Michigan, the median home is worth about $109,100, and the typical rent is about $716 a month.

How educated are people in Iron County, Michigan?

About 22.5% of adults age 25 and over in Iron County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Iron County, Michigan?

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

Has Iron County, Michigan grown since 1990?

Yes, Iron County, Michigan has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 1,508 residents, a change of about -11 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

5 census tracts
Census Tract 5Census Tract 4Census Tract 1Census Tract 3Census Tract 2
6 ZIP codes
ZIP 49935ZIP 49920ZIP 49915ZIP 49927ZIP 49903ZIP 49902
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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