City · Dickinson County, Michigan

Iron Mountain, Michigan

Iron Mountain is a city in Dickinson County, Michigan, part of the Iron Mountain, MI-WI metro area. It has 7,518 residents. Iron Mountain, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,552 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #101 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), natural hazard risk (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and depression (high).

65High

Quality-of-life score: #5,552 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #101 of 444 in MI
Population: 7,518 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 996.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2640960

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.

Safety63#5,830/15,637
Economy39#9,503/15,631
Housing55#6,802/14,977
Health36#10,060/15,609
Healthcare58#6,588/15,650
Environment100#58/15,453
Education56#6,949/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,365/15,650
Community74#4,130/15,651
Leisure & amenities76#3,749/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Iron Mountain, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Dickinson 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

Mammography screening · high63.0%
100/100Michigan 49.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Natural hazard risk · low1.6
98/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyDickinson County value
Social associations · high17.7 /10k
96/100Michigan 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.4 µg/m³
94/100Michigan 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDickinson County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDickinson County value
Restaurants and bars · high13.9 /10k
93/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low21.9%
2/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationDickinson County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high173 mi
3/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDickinson County value
Depression · high30.5%
4/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Suicide rate · high26.4 /100k
7/100Michigan 14.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataDickinson County value
Distance to an airport · high112 mi
7/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDickinson County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Michigan 3.1United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDickinson County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.4% (2015-2019) → 87.5% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 2.4× (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
27.4% (2015-2019) → 22.8% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
12.0% (2015-2019) → 7.9% (2020-2024)
−4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$49,364 (2015-2019) → $59,405 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
13.7 min (2015-2019) → 16.0 min (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Iron Mountain, Michigan improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 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.

Improved2

Broadband+9.2 points78.4% → 87.5%
Household income+20%$49,364 → $59,405

Declined1

Price / income+0.6×1.7× → 2.4×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Iron Mountain, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.7 min2015-2019	16.0 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Within the margin of error	25%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.4%2015-2019	22.8%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Broadband subscriptions	78.4%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	55%
Effective property tax rate	1.54%2015-2019	1.55%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	14%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4312020-2024	+0.000	Within the margin of error	51%
Median household income	$49,3642015-2019	$59,4052020-2024	+20%	Improved	34%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent as share of income	26.3%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Rent-burdened households	43.7%2015-2019	44.7%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.5%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%

“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 Iron Mountain, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Iron Mountain, 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, Iron Mountain, Michigan itself moved −7.8 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

7,518 residents (±22)

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

3,582 households (±176)

Iron Mountain, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k23%830
$25k–50k19%685
$50k–75k22%805

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,582 households (±176)

Iron Mountain, Michigan
Michigan share

Own72%2,591
Rent28%991

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,602 workers (±349)

Iron Mountain, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone70%2,507
Carpool10%†376
Public transit0.6%21

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Iron Mountain, MI-WI

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 Dickinson County, the county holding most of Iron Mountain's residents.

Dickinson County has 806 employer establishments, 310 for every 10,000 residents (1.25× the US rate of 248; 1.36× Michigan's), with 13,335 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,893. The Census Bureau also counts 1,531 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 806; 1,531 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 310; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 13,335
Average annual pay: $55,893; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	66	25.4	1.22×About typical	550	$58,389	62
Restaurants and other eating places	52	20	1.09×About typical	692	$18,772	8
Specialty trade contractors	47	18.1	1.17×About typical	1,443	$63,753	87
Truck transportation	32	12.3	2.43×More than typical	229	$59,336	25
Religious organizations	29	11.1	2.01×More than typical	114	$21,184	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	9.6	1.91×More than typical	82	$50,110	34
Offices of other health practitioners	25	9.6	1.58×More than typical	106	$50,472	33
Construction of buildings	22	8.5	1.12×About typical	154	$53,188	50
Full-service restaurants	22	8.5	1.10×About typical	275	$20,971	—
Limited-service restaurants	21	8.1	1.01×About typical	339	$17,726	5
Banks and credit unions	18	6.9	2.14×More than typical	201	$51,781	—
Building equipment contractors	18	6.9	1.15×About typical	1,363	$62,721	9

Rank places for an industry Open Dickinson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 26,013 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 $2.1M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Iron Mountain, Michigan: $276 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.1M; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $276; US $1,994
Sole-source: 6.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 9.8%; US 8.8%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$2.1M99.6%
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$5,4480.3%
Consumer Product Safety Commission$1,7810.1%
Forest Service$1,0240.0%
Department of the Army$5110.0%

Top recipients

SAWTOOTH CONSTRUCTION JV II LLC$1.2M55%
VALLEY MECHANICAL INC$241.7K12%
INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE SERVICES INC$171.8K8.3%
VALCORP ENTERPRISES LLC$84.9K4.1%
BERNERS-SCHOBER ASSOCIATES, INC.$43.8K2.1%

Spending by fiscal year

822.9KFY2017
776.8KFY2018
1.8MFY2019
371.2KFY2020
1.2MFY2021
1.5MFY2022
1.3MFY2023
579.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.4M67%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$340.5K16%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$65.7K3.2%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$62K3.0%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$50K2.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Iron Mountain, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Iron Mountain, Michigan's figures are part of those of Dickinson County, MI ($39.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 5.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Iron Mountain is mostly in Dickinson County.

See federal money in Dickinson 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.

Iron Mountain, 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.

Dickinson County87100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Iron Mountain, MI-WI86

Other cities and towns in Dickinson 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/2640960

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends