Census-designated place · Roscommon County, Michigan

Houghton Lake, Michigan

Houghton Lake is a census-designated place in Roscommon County, Michigan. It has 5,769 residents. Houghton Lake, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 28 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,300 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #334 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), voter turnout (high) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), average weekly wage (low) and broadband subscriptions (low).

28Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,300 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #334 of 444 in MI
Population: 5,769 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 536.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 2639400

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety66#5,363/15,637
Economy14#13,413/15,631
Housing56#6,605/14,977
Health16#13,104/15,609
Healthcare14#13,445/15,650
Environment50#7,679/15,453
Education21#12,374/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,370/15,650
Community69#4,850/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,969/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Houghton Lake, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Roscommon County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Restaurants and bars · high16.7 /10k
97/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRoscommon County value
Voter turnout · high80.1%
96/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionRoscommon County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRoscommon County value
Property crime rate · low394 /100k
93/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRoscommon County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high7.5 /10k
91/100Michigan 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRoscommon County value
Public libraries · high1.7 /10k
88/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesRoscommon County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-9.4%
0/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRoscommon County value
Average weekly wage · low$814
1/100Michigan $1,362United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRoscommon County value
Broadband subscriptions · low81.9%
4/100Michigan 90.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Distance to an emergency room · high17.8 mi
5/100Michigan 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRoscommon County value
Depression · high30.0%
6/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Traffic deaths · high32.0 /100k
6/100Michigan 11.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataRoscommon County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
3,350 (2015-2019) → 5,769 (2020-2024)
+72%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
61.2% (2015-2019) → 45.6% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$28,816 (2015-2019) → $50,305 (2020-2024)
+75%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
45.6% (2015-2019) → 31.9% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateImproving
12.7% (2015-2019) → 3.4% (2020-2024)
−9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.0% (2015-2019) → 81.9% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Houghton Lake, Michigan improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Household income+75%$28,816 → $50,305
Bachelor's++5.8 points9.4% → 15.2%
Broadband+7.9 points74.0% → 81.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Houghton Lake, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.5 min2015-2019	24.8 min2020-2024	+3.2 min	Within the margin of error	18%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.4%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Improved	73%
Broadband subscriptions	74.0%2015-2019	81.9%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	49%
Child poverty rate	45.6%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	−14 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Effective property tax rate	1.28%2015-2019	1.02%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	68%
High school diploma or higher	88.4%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	−0.6×	Within the margin of error	94%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4272015-2019	0.4222020-2024	−0.005	Within the margin of error	55%
Median household income	$28,8162015-2019	$50,3052020-2024	+75%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	26.1%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent as share of income	33.8%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent-burdened households	61.2%2015-2019	45.6%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.7%2015-2019	8.5%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Houghton Lake, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Houghton Lake, Michigan in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Houghton Lake, Michigan itself moved +12.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,769 residents (±402)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,832 households (±260)

Houghton Lake, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k20%555
$25k–50k30%851
$50k–75k24%682

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,832 households (±260)

Houghton Lake, Michigan
Michigan share

Own81%2,289
Rent19%543

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+18.4 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,063 workers (±295)

Houghton Lake, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone67%1,383
Carpool19%†388
Public transit0.1%†

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Roscommon County, the county holding most of Houghton Lake's residents.

Roscommon County has 551 employer establishments, 230 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248; 1.01× Michigan's), with 4,204 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,830. The Census Bureau also counts 1,565 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 551; 1,565 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 230; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 4,204
Average annual pay: $40,830; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Roscommon County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	50	20.9	1.14×About typical	677	$19,693	10
Specialty trade contractors	38	15.9	1.03×About typical	167	$71,299	181
Ambulatory health care services	28	11.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	300	$59,073	44
Full-service restaurants	28	11.7	1.52×More than typical	395	$19,324	5
Construction of buildings	27	11.3	1.49×More than typical	89	$48,843	100
Lessors of real estate	24	10	0.81×About typical	56	$39,679	169
Religious organizations	18	7.5	1.36×More than typical	66	$19,333	—
Real estate agents and brokers	17	7.1	1.46×More than typical	26	$67,154	44
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	6.7	1.33×More than typical	49	$44,776	32
General merchandise stores	16	6.7	3.78×More than typical	391	$32,345	9
Building equipment contractors	15	6.3	1.04×About typical	122	$49,361	22
Gasoline stations	15	6.3	1.93×More than typical	113	$30,841	—

Rank places for an industry Open Roscommon County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 23,940 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Houghton Lake, Michigan: $0 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $2,007
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

93.9FY2017

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Houghton Lake, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Houghton Lake is mostly in Roscommon County.

See federal money in Roscommon County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Houghton Lake, Michigan is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jack BergmanR-MI-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Roscommon County42100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Roscommon County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2639400

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends