Houghton Lake is a somewhat small town located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 5,294 people and five associated neighborhoods, Houghton Lake is the 183rd largest community in Michigan.

A relatively large number of people in Houghton Lake telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 12.82% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Another notable thing is that Houghton Lake is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Houghton Lake’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Houghton Lake has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Houghton Lake a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

The percentage of adults in Houghton Lake who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 17.37% of the adults in Houghton Lake have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Houghton Lake in 2022 was $30,791, which is middle income relative to Michigan, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $123,164 for a family of four. However, Houghton Lake contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Houghton Lake home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Houghton Lake residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Houghton Lake include German, English, Polish, Irish, and French Canadian.

The most common language spoken in Houghton Lake is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Italian.