Lake Superior Smelter, Loading Copper, Dollar Bay, Mich, 1898
Dollar Bay’s story
138 years in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and a map from 1975 on.
- 1888Dollar Bay is settled
Dollar BayMI
The town was settled in 1888 and has 1,049 residents today.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Chris857 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,049
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$187K
+11.7% in a year
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
31.3
years
Jobs based here
168
A commuter town
Is Dollar Bay a good place to live?
32% of residents are under 18 in Dollar Bay, above both Michigan’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (22%). Dollar Bay’s concentration of trails is 0.9 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. We don’t grade Dollar Bay yet; the figures below are still real.
Small town
1,049 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Franklin TownshipOsceola TownshipHoughtonTorch Lake TownshipPortage TownshipDollar Bay
Getting set up
Moving to Dollar Bay: who provides what
Dollar Bay is unincorporated, so Houghton County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerUpper Michigan Energy Resources17.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOsceola Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers83% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHoughton CountyHoughton County provides services here
SchoolsDollar Bay-Tamarack City Area SchoolsHancock Public Schools2 districts serve Dollar Bay; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereOsceola Township ClerkOsceola Township; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49922, 4993049922 81% · 49930 19%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dollar Bay.
Work & commute
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Dollar Bay’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Dollar Bay for work: only 5% work in town. Dollar Bay’s typical household income comes in at $61,000. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in the town. Employers in Dollar Bay added 129 jobs between 2011 and 2021, to 168.
5%work in town
| Dollar Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 5.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Dollar Bay5%
Hancock23%
Houghton21%
Portage Township7%
Calumet Township7%
4 mi
median commute distance
168
jobs based in Dollar Bay
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Housing
Dollar Bay’s typical home value is about $187K
In Dollar Bay, nearly nine in ten households live in a home they own. The town’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $825 a month.
$187KZillow home value
| Dollar Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $825 a month | $1,046 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Dollar Bay$187K
Michigan$264K
+11.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Dollar Bay is inland flooding, at a low overall level
FEMA puts 71% of Dollar Bay’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 21% to cold waves. On expected storm and flood damage, Dollar Bay sits below three quarters of U.S. communities.
25risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
Dollar Bay stands out in Michigan and nationally, with the median age lower than most
Nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan. For residents in Dollar Bay, the share who are 65 or older is 18%.
31.3median age · MI 40.2
| Dollar Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 19% | 18% |
Dollar BayMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school39%
Some college22%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s17%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Dollar Bay | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.6% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.1% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Compared with most of Michigan and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Dollar Bay is cooler
Dollar Bay brings cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 77° and January nights drop to 8°.
77°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–25°
Spring27–49°
Summer52–75°
Fall36–53°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 17
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
77°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Dollar Bay is
Among adults in Dollar Bay, 11% worry about having enough food. Two figures for adults locally: 18% binge drink, 16% say their health is fair or poor.
| Dollar Bay | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
8 better24 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Dollar Bay | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 11.9% |
Up Health System Portage
3.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Open space protected for good: 0.2% of Dollar Bay
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 4.1 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Dollar Bay: one, of 3 acres.
0.2%conserved
0.2%
conserved · 7 of 2,821 acres
4.1 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sandy Bottom Beach Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 10 attractions →Mount Arvon and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dollar Bay. Close and well known come first.
31 mi MountainMount Arvon
3 mi National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical Park35K visitors a year
3 mi MuseumA. E. Seaman Mineral Museum29 mi Ski areaMount Bohemia21 runs · 814 ft vertical
3 mi MuseumCarnegie Museum of the KeweenawSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Arvon: Yinan Chen, Public Domain · Keweenaw National Historical Park: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum: Chris857, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw: Chris857, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dollar Bay
16pages on Dollar Bay
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dollar Bay
About 7 of every 100 Dollar Bay residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Dollar Bay for work
Where Dollar Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
168jobs based in Dollar Bay
5%of working residents work in town
4 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Dollar Bay
Census-designated place in Michigan, U.S.
Dollar Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) in Houghton County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dollar Bay had a population of 1,061.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 625 ft
- ZIP code
- 49922
Questions about Dollar Bay
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dollar Bay, MI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Dollar Bay yet; the figures below are still real.