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Houghton, MI

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.



Overview

Houghton is a somewhat small city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 8,543 people and just one neighborhood, Houghton is the 136th largest community in Michigan.

Occupations and Workforce

Houghton is a decidedly white-collar city, with fully 88.65% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Houghton is a city of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Houghton who work in teaching (21.18%), food service (13.65%), and sales jobs (8.46%).

Of important note, Houghton is also a city of artists. Houghton has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Houghton’s character.

Also of interest is that Houghton has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 10.16% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

For a small city, there is also a high proportion of single, often educated, people living in Houghton. This is not typical for smaller communities in America, and adds a feeling of vibrancy to Houghton.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 12.33 minutes getting to work every day.

For a small city, Houghton has a lot of people who use public transit to get to work, and those that do mostly ride the bus. This suggests that a real need for low-cost transportation in Houghton exists, and local transit is helping to meet that need.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Houghton, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Houghton is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 68.63% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Houghton in 2022 was $26,716, which is lower middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $106,864 for a family of four. However, Houghton contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Houghton also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 40.08% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Houghton is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Houghton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Houghton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Houghton include German, European, Irish, Polish, and Finnish.

In addition, Houghton has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (15.94%).

The most common language spoken in Houghton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Langs. of India and Chinese.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

People

NeighborhoodScout's analysis shows that the neighborhood has a greater concentration of residents currently enrolled in college than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in the U.S. With 56.1% of the population here attending college, this is very much a college-focused neighborhood.

In addition, the neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 96.2% of the neighborhoods in the United States.

Also, the neighborhood stands out within Michigan for its college student friendly environment. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this neighborhood is home to a number of college students, is relatively walkable, and above average in safety. In combination, this makes it stand out for a good place for college students to consider. Because a number of college students live here, this neighborhood may be close to a college campus and offer certain amenities nearby geared towards the student body. While it's not an environment for everyone, ambitious scholars can enjoy seasonal excitement between semesters and school breaks, and parents can rest easy knowing that the area has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 6.2% of college-friendly places to live in MI.

Modes of Transportation

In the neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 32.3% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 99.3% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!

Also, would you like to be able to ride your bike to work? If you are attracted to the idea of getting a little exercise of the two-wheeled type while reducing your carbon footprint, bicycling to work might be the answer. But which neighborhood you live in can make this either impossible, or alternatively, a great and realistic option. NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that the neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 3.9% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 97.2% of the neighborhoods in America.

Finally, more people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 95.1% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Length of Commute

Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 70.4% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.6% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.

Real Estate

86.4% of the real estate in the neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Finnish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Finnish ancestry.

is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 3.7% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Langs. of India at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 95.8% of the neighborhoods in America.

Migration / Stability

The freedom of moving to new places versus the comfort of home. How much and how often people move not only can create diverse and worldly neighborhoods, but simultaneously it can produce a loss of intimacy with one's surroundings and a lack of connectedness to one's neighbors. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research has identified this neighborhood as unique with regard to the transience of its populace. In the neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 98.9% of U.S. Neighborhoods. This neighborhood, more than almost any other in America, has new residents from other areas.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in Houghton are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 96.2% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 13.9% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 59.3% of U.S. neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the neighborhood, 50.7% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 32.4% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (8.9%), and 8.0% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 83.0% of households. Some people also speak Langs. of India (3.7%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the neighborhood in Houghton, MI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (20.4%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (9.9%), and residents who report Polish roots (8.4%), and some of the residents are also of Asian ancestry (8.2%), along with some English ancestry residents (6.7%), among others. In addition, 15.5% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (70.4% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (39.4%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (32.3%) and 9.7% of residents also ride the bus for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.

Real Estate includes:
Average Home Values
Rental Market
Housing Market Details
Neighborhood Setting
Economics & Demographics include:
Lifestyle & Special Character
Household Types
Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Employment Industries & Occupations
Income & Unemployment Rate
Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
Neighborhood Crime Index
Crimes Per Square Mile
Property Crime Comparison
Violent Crime Comparison
Schools include:
School Ratings
Schools In District
Public School Test Scores
School District Enrollment
Educational Expenditures

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