Demographics of Houghton County, Michigan

Houghton County, Michigan had 37,842 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +586 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Houghton County, in four figures

37,842
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.6%
Change since July 2020: +586 people.; 32.2 ±0.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $58,899 ±$3,371
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Houghton County, Michigan's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Houghton County, Michigan's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Houghton County, Michigan's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Houghton County, Michigan's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	37,256	100.0	100.0
2021	37,548	100.8	100.2
2022	37,728	101.3	100.7
2023	37,671	101.1	101.6
2024	37,703	101.2	102.5
2025	37,842	101.6	103.1

3 more columns on a wider screen

Population of Houghton County, Michigan on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	37,256	−114	+6	+1	−110
2021	37,548	+292	0	+35	+233
2022	37,728	+180	−39	+146	+98
2023	37,671	−57	−11	+194	−239
2024	37,703	+32	−11	+212	−168
2025	37,842	+139	−14	+193	−39

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 32.2 ±0.5: for men 29.1 ±0.6 and for women 37.4 ±0.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Houghton County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Michigan	United States
Under 5	1,870 ±45	5.0% ±0.1	5.4% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,589 ±279	14.8% ±0.7	15.9% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	8,304 ±581	22.0% ±1.5	9.2% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	7,714 ±326	20.5% ±0.9	25.3% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	7,441 ±245	19.7% ±0.7	25.6% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	6,775 ±309	18.0% ±0.8	18.6% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $58,899 ±$3,371, and income per person $31,893 ±$1,708, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,875 ±$293 in Michigan and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

2 more columns on a wider screen

Households in Houghton County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Michigan	United States
Under $25,000	2,955 ±327	20.7% ±2.2	15.8% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	3,191 ±350	22.3% ±2.4	18.7% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,297 ±248	16.1% ±1.7	16.8% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,060 ±258	14.4% ±1.8	13.2% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,903 ±188	13.3% ±1.3	17.3% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	961 ±177	6.7% ±1.2	8.6% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	938 ±152	6.6% ±1.0	9.5% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

2 more columns on a wider screen

Poverty rate in Houghton County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Michigan	United States
All ages	5,505 ±513	16.5% ±1.5	13.2% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	871 ±186	11.9% ±2.5	17.6% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,766 ±348	21.5% ±1.9	12.7% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	868 ±153	10.1% ±1.7	10.5% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

1 more column on a wider screen

Housing in Houghton County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Houghton County	Michigan	United States
Housing units	18,870 ±116	4,622,236 ±795	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	75.8% ±1.9	88.2% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	24.2% ±1.8	11.8% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	71.8% ±2.6	73.2% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	28.2% ±2.1	26.8% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$159,900 ±$7,874	$231,600 ±$642	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$840 ±$73	$1,129 ±$4	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1960 ±3	1972 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Houghton County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Michigan	United States
Hispanic or Latino	697 ±0	1.8% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	34,270 ±360	90.9% ±1.0	72.4% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	416 ±45	1.1% ±0.1	13.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,084 ±122	2.9% ±0.3	3.4% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	172 ±79	0.5% ±0.2	0.3% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 11	0% to < 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 684	0% to 1.8%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	724 ±185	1.9% ±0.5	4.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Houghton County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Michigan	United States
Born in the state	27,773 ±587	73.7% ±1.6	76.0% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	7,712 ±469	20.5% ±1.2	16.0% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	202 ±87	0.5% ±0.2	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,006 ±462	5.3% ±1.2	7.2% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	594 ±113	1.6% ±0.3	4.1% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,412 ±457	3.7% ±1.2	3.1% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Houghton County among the counties of Michigan

42nd of 83 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Michigan page.

Counties of Michigan near Houghton County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Branch County	45,993	+2.5%
Hillsdale County	45,738	> −0.1%
Mecosta County	42,320	+4.7%
Gratiot County	41,190	−1.1%
Sanilac County	40,083	−1.0%
Houghton County	37,842	+1.6%
Delta County	36,582	−0.8%
Chippewa County	36,081	−1.9%
Wexford County	34,445	+2.3%
Emmet County	33,775	−1.0%
Clare County	31,543	+2.3%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 5 Counties in Michigan by poverty rate
No. 7 Counties in Michigan by foreign-born share
No. 30 Counties in Michigan by median rent
No. 35 Counties by population growth in Michigan
No. 36 Counties in Michigan by median household income
No. 42 Counties by population in Michigan

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026