Houghton, Michigan
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 2.3% since 2020.
8,560
people, the 105th-largest of Michigan's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Michigan's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
83.1%
of 4,419 jobs located in Houghton are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2021. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 79% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$978
a month. Michigan's median is $1,129.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $633 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Houghton County.
- $545 Tract 4
- $1,178 Tract 1
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.
$922–$1,383
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $978 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2021 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
74% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 74% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 1–2% to the 2,441 homes here.
22–44
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2021 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 10% more than Michigan's.
$254,500
median home value in Houghton.
- $254,500 Houghton
- $231,600 Michigan
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year