Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,787, settled in 1884. 3.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Trash day: TuesdayBessemer’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a C− for incomes. On cost of living, just 24 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. On civic life, just 86 of Michigan’s 1,265 towns do better. Gogebic County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bessemer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bessemer beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Bessemer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,566 in 1890, a peak of 5,482 in 1920, 1,805 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bessemer, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bessemer.
Bessemer’s median rent is $546 a month, against $1,046 a month in Michigan’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Bessemer home is worth about $114,000, up 3.8% in a year, 57% below the Michigan typical home.
| Bessemer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $546 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Bessemer Area School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 179 | C+ |
| AD Johnston JrSr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 164 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bessemer beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 41% of adults have high blood pressure in Bessemer, above both the Michigan town median (36%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Bessemer.
| Bessemer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bessemer | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.3% | 7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bessemer’s July high is 77°F. Bessemer has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (21% statewide). The median age in Bessemer is 48.2 years. 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Bessemer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 48.2 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.1 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Bessemer | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.7% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.2% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 19.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.8% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
About one in 4 of Bessemer’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Bessemer fell to 757 in 2021, 173 fewer than in 2011. 13% of Bessemer residents live below the poverty line.
| Bessemer | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
2.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bluff Valley Park, at 57 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bluff Valley Park | 0.6 mi | 57 |
| 2. Barber Field Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bessemer
About 7 of every 100 Bessemer residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
7 notable people were born in Bessemer.
City in Michigan, United States
Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,805. It is the county seat of Gogebic County. The city is surrounded by Bessemer Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is on U.S. Route 2 with Ironwood to the west and Wakefield to the east. The Big Powderhorn and Snowriver ski resorts are located within a few miles of Bessemer. Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are also very popular in this area, due to lake-effect snow influenced by nearby Lake Superior; the area is often referred to as "Big Snow Country." Recreational opportunities in the summer months include Bluff Valley Park, the scenic Black River Falls, and access…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Michigan town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
7 notable people were born here, including Al Rossi and Otto Binder.