Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Houghton grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns. It has 20 miles of trail. Its public schools beat 96% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $272K for a typical one and 4.7 times the Houghton area’s $58K median household income. Houghton is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Michigan’s towns. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Houghton, above both Michigan’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (29%). On walkability, just 25 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do better. Houghton is home to Michigan Technological University.
Where Houghton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Houghton Elementary School | K–5 | 618 |
| Houghton Middle School | 6–8 | 359 |
| Houghton Central High School | 9–12 | 481 |
Census counts: 2,157 in 1860, a low of 1,438 in 1880, 8,386 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 4 maps from 1915 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Houghton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for schools (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 10%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Houghton, 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 Houghton.
Houghton is shaped by its college students, has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and draws workers from Hancock and beyond.
Its A+ ranks #14 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $272K.
Its public schools are run by the Houghton-Portage Township School District. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Houghton Central High School, with 481 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 618 | A |
| Houghton Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 481 | A+ |
| Houghton Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 359 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #4 of 701 in Michigan.
Houghton’s trail density is 4.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Raymond Kestner Waterfront Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
| 2. Central Houghton Greenspace Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 3. Prince's Point | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4,139 jobs are based in Houghton, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 10.7 minutes, against 24.2 across Michigan.
40% of residents live below the poverty line in Houghton. No town among the 701 in Michigan we compare has a lower average trip to work than Houghton. The median household income in Houghton is $43,000.
| Houghton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 40% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 3,477 U.S. towns with household incomes like Houghton’s, it is healthier than 99%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Michigan is cancer: 3.9% of its 7,532 adults have had cancer, against 8.9% statewide.
5.5% of Houghton adults have diabetes. Of the 701 Michigan towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who binge drink than Houghton. 23% of Houghton adults report frequent mental distress.
| Houghton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.5% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Houghton | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.7% | 3.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.8% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Among 272 Michigan towns, just 10 have a lower violent crime rate than Houghton.
| Houghton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 77.8°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 7.7°.
Houghton has cold winters and pleasant summers.
| Houghton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 8°F | 16°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
73.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 50.4% across Michigan. The median property tax bill is $4,474, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 7.8% in the year to September 2026. Among 701 Michigan towns, just 4 have a lower share of households owning their home than Houghton.
| Houghton | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 84% | 73% |
| Median rent | $978 a month | $1,047 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Houghton. Close and well known come first.
31 mi MountainMount Arvon
in town National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical Park35K visitors a year
in town MuseumA. E. Seaman Mineral Museum32 mi Ski areaMount Bohemia21 runs · 814 ft vertical
in town MuseumCarnegie Museum of the KeweenawMount 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
1 within 15 miles of the center of Houghton
College town 60 of every 100 Houghton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
18.8% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
8 places in Houghton on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Houghton.
City in Michigan, United States
Houghton (; HOH-tən) is the largest city in and the county seat of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, with a population of 8,386 according to the 2020 United States census. Houghton is the principal city of the Houghton micropolitan area, which includes all of Houghton and Keweenaw counties. Houghton lies upon the Keweenaw Waterway, a partly natural, partly artificial waterway connecting at both ends to Lake Superior. Across the waterway from Houghton lies the city of Hancock. The city of Houghton was named for Douglass Houghton, an A…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Houghton.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton | – | A− | D | B+ | A+ | A− |
| Portage Township | #145 | A− | B− | — | A+ | B |
| Stanton Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
| Adams Township | #168 | A− | A− | — | A− | B |
| Hurontown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franklin Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B− |
| Dollar Bay | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Stanton Township and Franklin Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Portage Township, Stanton Township, Adams Township and Franklin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hurontown and Dollar Bay aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Houghton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Houghton grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns. Houghton is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Michigan’s towns. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
17 notable people were born here, including Eugene Parker and Nancy Harkness Love.
