Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,891, settled in 1877.
The best of Laurium’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and safety and an A− for walkability; the weakest is a D for incomes. Laurium’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, below both Michigan’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 62 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on cost of living. 15% of the land in Laurium is conserved, above both Michigan’s towns (4.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 26 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is George Gipp Recreation Area, at 59 acres. Laurium has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Laurium beats most towns.
Where Laurium’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Laurium is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,159 in 1890, a peak of 8,537 in 1910, 1,864 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 2 maps from 1946 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Laurium, 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 Laurium.
Laurium’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents. Among 273 Michigan towns, just 3 have a lower property crime rate than Laurium.
| Laurium | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Laurium home is worth about $141,000, up 12.5% in a year, 46% below the Michigan typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Laurium for work: only 8% work in town. 16% of Laurium residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Laurium grew to 416 in 2021, 298 more than in 2011.
| Laurium | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The July high in Laurium is 76°F. Laurium has cold winters and cool summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Laurium beats the Michigan average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Laurium.
| Laurium | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Laurium | MI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.4% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. George Gipp Recreation Area | 0.4 mi | 59 |
| 2. Daniell Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Michigan.
| Laurium | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 46.1 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 26% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Laurium | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.5% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.3% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.6% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.6% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Laurium. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi LakeLake Superior
36 mi MountainMount Arvon
in town National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical Park35K visitors a year23 mi Ski areaMount Bohemia21 runs · 814 ft vertical
10 mi MuseumA. E. Seaman Mineral Museum
10 mi MuseumCarnegie Museum of the KeweenawLake Superior: NASA, Public domain · 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
1 within 15 miles of the center of Laurium
About 6 of every 100 Laurium residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Michigan.
5 notable people were born in Laurium.
Village in Michigan, United States
Laurium (; LAW-ri-um or LAIR-i-um) is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, Laurium had a population of 1,864. The village is mostly surrounded by Calumet Township, with a small portion bordering Schoolcraft Township on the east. The portion of Calumet Township south of Laurium is considered part of the Florida (or Florida Location) unincorporated community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Laurium.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurium | — | — | A | A | B− | C+ |
| Calumet Township | #344 | B | A | — | B− | C |
Laurium has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Calumet Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Laurium with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
5 notable people were born here, including Philip Ruppe and Mary Locke Petermann.
