COUNTY PROFILE - HOUGHTON, Michigan

  
LOCATION SERVICES 
  
Bureau of Industrial Development 
Michigan Technological University 
1400 Townsend Drive 
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295 
  
Contact:  Philip Musser, Manager 
Phone:    906/487-2560 
FAX:      906/487-2858 
  
County Seat:  Houghton 
 
  
POPULATION 
  
1970 Census                    34652 
1980 Census                    37872 
1990 Census                    35446 
Median Age (as of 1990)         31.7 years 
  
  
LABOR FORCE 
(1992 average) 
  
Total Labor Force            15425 
Employed                     13975 
Total Unemployment            1450 
Unemployment Rate              9.4% 
3-Year Average                 8.2% 
  
  
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS 
  
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service 
  
Michigan Tech. Univ., Houghton           2000  Education 
UP Power                                  589  Utility 
D & N Savings Bank                        404  Financial services 
Mead                                      175  Lumber 
Calumet Electronics, Calumet               95  Printed circuit boards 
Horner Flooring, Dollar Bay                81  Wood flooring 
Daily Mining Gazette, Houghton             75  Newspapers 
Peninsula Copper Industries,Hubbell        40  Chemical leaching 
Great Lakes Plastic, Hancock               30  Plastic products 
Mercury Mfg., Hancock                      30  Screw machine shop 
Penegon Sawmill, Twin Lakes                30  Sawmill 
Williams Mach & Fabr., Calumet             25  Mining machinery, paper mach. 
Somero, South Range                        20  Cement laying machines 
Volwerth & Co. Sausage Mfg, Hancock        20  Meat processing 
Superior Block, Houghton                   15  Cement blocks 
Thurner Bakery, Calumet                    15  Bakery 
Wood Development, Sidnaw                   15  Sawmill 
Osceola Fiberglass, Calumet                12  Plastic bathtub enclosures 
Lake Superior Fisheries, Hancock           10  Fishery 
Maple Lumber, Kenton                       10  Sawmill 
  
  
EARNING LEVELS 
                                          Average Hourly Rate 
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum 
  
Assembler - Light                          $5.80         $7.65 
Clerk, General Office                      $6.02         $7.28 
Electrical Technician                      $4.30         $8.83 
Forklift Operator                          $7.48         $8.59 
General Laborer                            $5.57         $8.38 
Inspector                                  $8.10         $9.07 
Machine Operator                           $7.07         $8.13 
Machinist                                  $7.83        $10.80 
Secretary                                  $5.99         $7.89 
Welder                                     $7.11         $9.88 
  
Source:  Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for 
         inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index. 
  
  
DISTANCE TO: 
                   Miles    Kilometers 
Chicago             420         675 
Detroit             550         884 
Duluth              210         337 
Lansing             490         788 
Milwaukee           340         547 
Minneapolis         360         579 
  
  
TRANSPORTATION 
  
Main Highways:  M-26, M-28, M-38, M-203, US-41 
Bus Lines:      2 
Truck Lines:    4 
Rail Lines:     Escanaba & Lake Superior; Wisconsin Central 
Ports:          Domestic port facilities at Houghton and Dollar Bay 
Airports:       Houghton County Memorial, Hancock 
Airlines:       Northwest Air Link 
  
  
CLIMATE 
As reported by weather station at Calumet. 
  
January Average Minimum:    7 F./-14 C.    Average Maximum:   20 F./ -7 C. 
July Average Minimum:      54 F./ 12 C.    Average Maximum:   75 F./ 24 C. 
Growing Season:       132 days 
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   23      Average Annual Rainfall:   34 in./ 86 cm. 
Days above 90 F or 32 C:    2      Average Annual Snowfall:  203 in./516 cm. 
  
  
INDUSTRIAL SITES 
(As of January 1993) 
  
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks 
  
Adams Twp.                    1         0           0              0 
Calumet                       0         0           0              1 
Calumet Twp.                  2       104          42              0 
Chassell Twp.                 2       621         251              0 
Franklin Twp.                 3        98          40              0 
Hancock                       2         0           0              0 
Hancock Twp.                  1         0           0              0 
Houghton                      3       142          57              0 
Laurium                       1         0           0              0 
Osceola Twp.                  4        30          12              0 
Portage Twp.                  2       610         247              0 
Quincy Twp.                   2         0           0              0 
South Range                   2         0           0              0 
     COUNTY TOTAL            25      1605         650              1 
  
Zero acres indicates less than half an acre or no information available. 
  
  
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS 
  
                   Residential   Industrial      Office      Mercantile 
                  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value 
  
1991:               64    $3.88                                4    $0.44 
3-Year Average:     49    $3.47    0    $0.01    1    $0.20    2    $0.30 
  
Values are reported in millions of dollars. A 3-year average value of 1 may 
indicate no construction activity in one or more of the last three years. 
  
  
NEW INCORPORATIONS 
  
Incorporations in 1992:     69          State Median:   68 
Incorporation Rate:        195          State Median:  183 
  
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population. 
  
  
PROPERTY TAX BASE 
(As of 1992) 
  
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other 
     4%             64%           1%           17%         15% 
  
County Total State Equalized Value:             $260,352,574.00 
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                56.43 
  
  
UTILITIES 
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone* 
  
Calumet            U.P. Power         Peninsular Gas     Michigan Bell 
Hancock            U.P. Power         Michigan Power     Michigan Bell, D,EA 
Houghton           U.P. Power         Michigan Power     Michigan Bell, D,EA 
Portage Twp.       U.P. Power         Michigan Power     Michigan Bell 
  
* D=digital switching; EA=equal access to interexchange carriers; 
  see Source List note. 
  
  
WATER 
                                 Gallons           Liters         Pressure 
                 Source      Capacity   Use    Capacity   Use   (lbs./sq.in.) 
  
Calumet          Wells           21      19        79      72     30-65 
Calumet Twp.     Wells           28      11       106      42     40-90 
Hancock          Wells           20       7        76      25     80-265 
Houghton         Wells           20      17        76      64     28-90 
Portage Twp.     Wells            2                 6             120 
  
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day. 
  
  
SEWER 
                                            Gallons            Liters 
                     Type               Capacity   Load    Capacity   Load 
  
Calumet              Broad irrigat'n         10       5         38      20 
Calumet Twp.                                 30      20        114      76 
Hancock              Act. Sludge             36      18        136      66 
Houghton             Act. Sludge             22      18         83      68 
Portage Twp. 
  
Capacity and present load in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day. 
  
  
MUNICIPAL SERVICES 
                                   1990               Master   Public Library 
Community        Phone Number   Population    Zoning   Plan      (Volumes) 
  
Calumet          906-337-1713         818       no     no      20,104 
Calumet Twp.                         7015       yes    yes     20,104 
Hancock          906-482-2720        4547       yes    yes     14,580 
Houghton         906-482-1700        7498       yes    no      32,550 
Portage Twp.                         2941       yes    yes 
  
  
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police 
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste 
  
Calumet           7                        27            2     Independent 
Calumet Twp.      8/9                      15                  Independent 
Hancock           7                        12            6     Independent 
Houghton          6                        16            7     Independent 
Portage Twp.      8/9                                          Independent 
  
  
County Sheriff Officers:    22      Licensed Landfills in County:    1 
  
 
Other communities in Houghton County (1990 population for incorporated 
communities in parenthesis): 
  
Adams Twp. (2388), Alston, Atlantic Mine, Boston, Chassell Twp. (1686), 
Copper 
City (198), Dodgeville, Dollar Bay, Donken, Duncan Twp. (304), Elm River Twp. 
(159), Franklin Twp. (1164), Freda, Hancock Twp. (287), Hubbell, Jacobsville, 
Kearsarge, Kenton, Laird Twp. (582), Lake Linden (1203), Lake Roland, Laurium 
(2268), Nisula, Osceola Twp. (1878), Oskar, Painesdale, Quincy Twp. (223), 
Redridge, Ripley, Schoolcraft Twp. (2037), Sidnaw, South Range (745), Stanton 
Twp. (1184), Tapiola, Toivola, Torch Lake Twp. (1553), Trimountain, Twin 
Lakes, 
Winona 
  
 
  
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993) 
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High 
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools 
  
Calumet          Calumet Public                    1627        70         1 
Hancock          Hancock Public                    1049        49         1 
Houghton         Houghton-Portage Twp              1202        53         1 
  
  
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 
(As of Fall 1991) 
  
Name and Location                                               Enrollment 
  
Michigan Technological University, Houghton                           6921 
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (110 mi.)                     8652 
Suomi College, Hancock                                                 527 
  
  
MEDICAL FACILITIES 
  
Hospitals in County:           2     Total Beds:    193 
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Marquette (110 miles) 
Extended Care Facilities:      4     Total Beds:    428 
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:     40 
  
  
HOUSING AND CHURCHES 
(Housing as of 1990) 
  
Owner occupied:     9155 (69.5%)     Median Home Value:   $28,300.00 
Renter occupied:    4017 (30.5%)     Median Contract Rent:   $230.00 
Churches:      Catholic:   14    Protestant:   41 
Synagogues:    1 
  
  
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS 
  
Isle Royale National Park (can be reached by ferry from Houghton); F. J. 
McLain State Park; Twin Lakes State Park; Ottawa National Forest; 
recreational harbor facilities at Houghton-Hancock on Lake Superior. 
Arcadian Copper Mine Tours, Hancock; A. E. Seaman Mineralogical Museum, 
Houghton; Elm River Sugar Bush Tours, Toivola; Calumet Theater, Calumet; 
Coppertown USA; Mining Museum, Calumet; Quincy Mine Hoist No. 2, Hancock. 
  
  
COMMERCIAL SERVICES 
(As of 1989) 
  
General Building Contractors                   15 
Metalworking Machinery                          0 
Commercial Printing                             4 
Advertising                                     2 
Personnel Supply Services                       0 
Computer and Data Processing Services           1 
Legal Services                                 10 
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping           10 
Retail Establishments                         259 
Wholesale Establishments                       27 
  
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):               561 
Television Channels:    1 plus cable 
Radio Stations:         3 
Newspapers:     Copper Island Sentinel, Daily Mining Gazette 
  
  
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices 
                                            Main Office           in County 
  
D&N Bank, a Federal Savings Bank            Hancock                    1 
First National Bank of Calumet-Lake         Calumet                    2 
First of America Bank-Upper Peninsula,      Marquette                  3 
Houghton National Bank                      Houghton                   3 
South Range State Bank                      South Range                1 
Superior National Bank and Trust Company    Hancock                    3 
 
  
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY 
                                                               Earnings 
                                   Employment                ($ millions) 
                                1985        1990            1985          
1990 
  
Total Employment                12882       14433 
Total Income                                              $348.77       
$460.74 
  
Earnings by Place of Work                                 $192.14       
$257.02 
  
  Components by Type: 
  Wage and Salary               10918       12289         $157.76       
$208.44 
  Proprietors                    1964        2144          $18.06        
$28.21 
    Farm                          231         200           $0.92         
$1.96 
    Nonfarm                      1733        1944          $17.14        
$26.26 
  
  Components by Industry: 
  Farm                            265         228           $1.08         
$2.13 
  Nonfarm                       12617       14205         $191.06       
$254.90 
    Private                      8651       10168         $114.95       
$155.66 
      Agric./For./Fish.            46          62           $0.56         
$0.60 
      Mining                       19          37           $1.08         
$1.11 
      Construction                602         742           $9.66        
$15.33 
      Manufacturing               607         833           $9.29        
$15.88 
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---           $2.55         
$4.43 
        Durable Goods             ---         ---           $6.73        
$11.45 
      Transp. & Utilities                     444                        
$12.72 
      Wholesale Trade             149         235           $2.64         
$4.70 
      Retail Trade               2428        3215          $20.18        
$30.17 
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         796         965           $9.38        
$17.47 
      Services                               3635                        
$57.69 
    Government                   3966        4037          $76.11        
$99.24 
      Federal                     291         158           $7.13         
$4.13 
      Military, Civilian          229         113           $3.31         
$1.58 
      State and Local            3446        3766          $65.67        
$93.53 
  
Earnings by Place of Residence                            $183.91       
$246.01 
  
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees 
or less than $50,000. 
  
Per Capita Income:      1985:     $9,407.00      1990:    $13,021.00