Houghton County, Michigan
Population 37,693 · Houghton, Hancock, Laurium
- Overall cost of living: −11% vs the US average, higher than 53% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 121 in, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Sunny days / yr: 100 days, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11% | higher than 53% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Michigan outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $159,900 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Median rent | $840 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $129/mo | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,696/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.16% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.25% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,858 | higher than 59% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $58,899 | lower than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +5.8% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 247.1 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈100 days | lower than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 77°F | lower than 97% of US counties |
| January low | 9°F | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈121 in | higher than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Watton 2WSW, MI, 42 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 2 days | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 175 days | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.7% of weeks | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈55°F | lower than 82% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 32.7 in | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $79/yr | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $76/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.14/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.12/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.3 µg/m³ | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 7.2 mi | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈967.8 ft | higher than 74% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.5% | higher than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 37.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 16.6% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16:1 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 80.8% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.47 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.11 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.34 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.9 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 70/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 5★ | the highest in the US |
| Life expectancy | 77.8 yrs | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.5% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 247/100k | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 72/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 29.4/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 73.2% | higher than 65% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 20 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 343 min | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 16 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.7% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 2.4% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 334 min | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 49 per sq mi | higher than 78% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.6 per 1k | lower than 59% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 5.9 per 1k | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Population | 37,693 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Median age | 32.2 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -0.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 40.7% Dem | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 57.7% Rep | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.6% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % White | 90.9% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.8% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.1% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| % Asian | 2.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.5% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 1.9% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.9% | higher than 92% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 227 parks | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.1 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.9 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 32.8% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 6 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 336 km | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 8 km | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 126 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data