Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety98#21/924
Economy25#695/925
Housing20#742/925
Health69#285/925
Healthcare67#307/923
Environment98#22/917
Education92#77/925
Infrastructure69#283/925
Community81#176/925
Leisure & amenities65#325/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Houghton, MI micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Median Air Quality Index · low12
99/1002024U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.0 µg/m³
99/100Michigan 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Hot days · low1 days
97/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Average commute time · low15.8 min
97/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Restaurants and bars · high16.7 /10k
96/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low21.3%
1/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
1/100Michigan 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high199 mi
1/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high238 mi
2/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New business applications · low7.4 /1k
5/100Michigan 15.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Michigan 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Child care cost burdenImproving
51.1% (2020 & 2021) → 30.3% (2023 & 2024)
−21 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Gyms and fitness centersWorsening
0.3 /10k (2020) → 0.0 /10k (2025)
−100%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Drought exposureImproving
11% (2021) → 0% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−11 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.9% (2015-2019) → 88.5% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Preventable hospital staysImproving
3,049 /100k (2019) → 1,617 /100k (2023)
−47%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k
Property crime rateImproving
933 /100k (2020) → 585 /100k (2025)
−37%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

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, MI micropolitan area improved on 14 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 6 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Poverty−3.2 points19.6% → 16.4%
Bachelor's++5 points32.6% → 37.5%
Uninsured−2.1 points8.5% → 6.4%
Violent crime−32%145 /100k → 99 /100k
Household income+32%$44,198 → $58,128

Declined7

Gyms−100%0.3 /10k → 0.0 /10k
Grocery stores−29%2.8 /10k → 2.0 /10k
Traffic deaths+24%7.3 /100k → 9.1 /100k
Libraries−5.2%1.3 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Restaurants−6%17.8 /10k → 16.7 /10k

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Houghton, MI micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.3 /10k2020	3.7 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	61%
Average commute time	16.4 min2015-2019	15.8 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	80%
Average weekly wage	$8892020	$1,0942025	+23%	Improved	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.6%2015-2019	37.5%2020-2024	+5 points	Improved	90%
Broadband subscriptions	77.9%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	67%
Child poverty rate	15.6%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Distance to an airport	274 mi2020	199 mi2025	−75 mi	Improved	99%
Drug overdose deaths	11.5 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−13%	Improved	38%
Effective property tax rate	1.31%2015-2019	1.12%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	72%
Firearm deaths	10.3 /100k2020	12.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+16%	Declined	28%
Grocery stores	2.8 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−29%	Declined	4%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.3 /10k2020	0.0 /10k2025	−100%	Declined	1%
High school diploma or higher	93.1%2015-2019	94.6%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	71%
Income adjusted for local prices	$42,1072019	$54,6812024	+30%	Improved	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4732015-2019	0.4672020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	72%
Median household income	$44,1982015-2019	$58,1282020-2024	+32%	Improved	73%
New business applications	6.0 /1k2020	7.4 /1k2025	+25%	Improved	20%
Pharmacies	0.8 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	66%
Poverty rate	19.6%2015-2019	16.4%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Improved	88%
Property crime rate	933 /100k2020	585 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	59%
Public libraries	1.3 /10k2019	1.3 /10k2024	−5.2%	Declined	24%
Rent as share of income	32.2%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	52.9%2015-2019	56.2%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Restaurants and bars	17.8 /10k2020	16.7 /10k2025	−6%	Declined	22%
Traffic deaths	7.3 /100k2015-2019	9.1 /100k2020-2024	+24%	Declined	24%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2020	5.7%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.5%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Improved	86%
Violent crime rate	145 /100k2020	99 /100k2025	−32%	Improved	79%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Houghton, MI micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Houghton, MI micropolitan area 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, MI micropolitan area itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

39,826 residents

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

15,440 households (±378)

Houghton, MI micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%3,162
$25k–50k23%3,524
$50k–75k16%2,477

Homes

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

Owners and renters

15,440 households (±378)

Houghton, MI micropolitan area
United States share

Own73%11,300
Rent27%4,140

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

17,550 workers (±489)

Houghton, MI micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone64%11,204
Carpool9.9%1,732
Public transit2.3%†406

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 no occupation wages for Houghton, MI micropolitan area.

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.

Houghton, MI has 950 employer establishments, 238 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248), with 9,593 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,773. The Census Bureau also counts 2,428 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 950; 2,428 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 238; US 248
Paid employees: 9,593
Average annual pay: $42,773; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	77	19.3	1.05×About typical	1,196	$17,253	5
Construction of buildings	62	15.6	2.06×More than typical	342	$60,556	86
Ambulatory health care services	59	14.8	0.71×Fewer than typical	580	$73,688	105
Specialty trade contractors	53	13.3	0.86×About typical	347	$72,787	154
Full-service restaurants	45	11.3	1.47×More than typical	729	$16,979	—
Religious organizations	31	7.8	1.40×More than typical	110	$17,600	—
Traveler accommodation	28	7	3.89×More than typical	288	$23,563	33
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	6.3	1.25×About typical	104	$45,337	23
Offices of other health practitioners	24	6	0.99×About typical	90	$39,667	60
Limited-service restaurants	23	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	402	$17,898	—
Lessors of real estate	21	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	77	$34,195	210
Banks and credit unions	18	4.5	1.40×More than typical	198	$54,146	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 39,852 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $23.7M on contracts performed in Houghton, MI micropolitan area: $592 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $23.7M; −47% vs FY2025
Per resident: $592; US $1,994
Sole-source: 19%; US 30%
Single offer: 13%; 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

Environmental Protection Agency$11.7M49%
Department of the Army$4.5M

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $319.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Houghton, MI micropolitan area: $7,989 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $319.8M; −25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,989; US $12,955
Loan face value: $8.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$160.1M50%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$33.8M11%
81.253 · Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chain Demonstrations and Commercial Applications$22M6.9%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$17.2M5.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$12.8M4.0%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$7.5M2.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$7.4M2.3%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$6.6M2.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY$23.2M7.2%
HOUGHTON, MI
REVEX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$22M6.9%
HOUGHTON, MI
TRANSPORTATION, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF$15M4.7%
LANSING, MI
MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY$8M2.5%
HOUGHTON, MI
SKYWEST AIRLINES INC$6.6M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$193.8M61%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$37.8M12%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Energy$23.5M7.4%
Federal Highway Administration$15M4.7%
Department of Transportation
National Science Foundation$10.7M

Assistance by fiscal year

274MFY2021
267.2MFY2022
295.4MFY2023
286.5MFY2024
426.1MFY2025
319.8MFY2026

County aggregates

73%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Houghton, MI

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

HoughtonPrincipal city8,474

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Michigan

Areas based in Michigan, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M26340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Houghton, MI micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Houghton, MI

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Michigan

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards