Iron County, Michigan

County in MI, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

11,667

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

53.1

years ∙ half population younger than 53.1, half older

Diversity Index

17.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.9%

foreign-born population

99.1%Native

0.9% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Iron County is a county in Michigan, United States.

Location

County in MI, US

Co-ordinates

DEC46.170254° N, 88.540526° W

DMS46° 10′ 12.91″ N, 88° 32′ 25.89″ W

Population Density & area

10.01/sq mi (3.86/km²)

Total Area

1,211 sq mi (3,137 km²)

Land Area

1,166 sq mi (3,020 km²) · 96.3%

Water Area

45 sq mi (117 km²) · 3.7%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.6% male

Male 50.6%

Female 49.4%

males per 100 females

Iron County 102.4

Michigan 98.2

United States 98

Nativity

0.9%

foreign-born population

99.1%Native

0.9% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Iron County 0.9%

Michigan 7.2%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

53.1

years ∙ half population younger than 53.1, half older

Iron County

53.1

Michigan

40.2

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

95.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Iron County 95.7

Michigan 66.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	17.5%	21.2%	22%
Working age (18-64)	51.1%	60.2%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	31.4%	18.6%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	95.7	66.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	34.3	35.3	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	61.4	31	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

90.6%

Black

0.9%

Asian

0.6%

Hispanic

2.3%

Other

5.6%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

17.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Iron County 17.7%

Michigan 45.2%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Iron County population

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2.3%	5.9%	19.3%
Mexican	1.5%	4%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.3%	0.5%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.2%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.4%	1.2%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97.7%	94.1%	80.7%
One race	94%	89.6%	76.4%
White	90.6%	72.4%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.9%	13.1%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	0.6%	3.4%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	1%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.7%	4.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

56.9% family

Family 56.9%

Non family 43.1%

% family households

Iron County 56.9%

Michigan 62.4%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.05

persons per household

Iron County

2.05

Michigan

2.42

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Iron County population

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Total households	5,547	4,076,369	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.05	2.42	2.53
Family households	3,158	2,545,621	82,990,528
Average family size	2.59	3.05	3.14
Married couple family	2,448	1,878,767	60,637,388
Other families	710	666,854	22,353,140
Male householder	250	199,150	6,572,819
Female householder	460	467,704	15,780,321
Non-family households	2,389	1,530,748	46,236,968
One-person households	2,080	1,250,418	37,140,836
Male householder	1,145	583,425	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	531	188,594	5,225,110
Female householder	935	666,993	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	624	349,637	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	309	280,330	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

9,156

housing units

Iron County 9,156

Michigan 4,622,236

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

60.6% occupied

Occupied 60.6%

Vacant 39.4%

vacancy rate

Iron County 39.4%

Michigan 11.8%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

89.3%

Single family houses

89.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

6.7%

Mobile homes

3.8%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1959

Half of houses were built before 1959, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

24.5%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

31%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

30.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

13.7%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.5	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	12.9%	10.5%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	58.2%	51.9%	51.6%
7+ rooms	28.8%	37.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.4%	1.6%	2.9%
1 bedroom	12.6%	8.9%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	29%	24.6%	25%
3 bedrooms	40.3%	43.5%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	15.8%	21.4%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1959	1972	1981
Total housing units	9,156	4,622,236	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

84.5% owners

Renter-occupied 15.5%

Owner-occupied 84.5%

homeownership rate

Iron County 84.5%

Michigan 73.2%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.07

Owner-occupied

1.95

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Iron County 2.07

Michigan 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Total occupied units	5,547	4,076,369	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	16.5%	21%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	33.9%	39.5%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.4%	16%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	33.3%	23.4%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.9%	98.4%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	2%	1.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.1%	0.4%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.6%	7%	8.4%
1 vehicle	35.9%	34.8%	33.1%
2 vehicles	40.3%	38.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	17.2%	19.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	82.1%	83.6%	51.4%
Electricity	5.4%	12.1%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.9%	0.8%	3.9%
All other fuels	11.1%	3%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.5%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.8%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.1%	0.7%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$109,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Iron County

$109,100

Michigan

$231,600

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

27.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

27.5%

Owners without a mortgage

16.9%

Renters

48.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Property value
Median Value	$109,100	$231,600	$332,700
Under $100,000	45.8%	16.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	26%	24.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	12.6%	23.4%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	10.3%	24.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	4.3%	9.2%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.1%	1.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	40.9%	57.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	59.1%	42.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,165	$1,569	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$479	$602	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$716	$1,129	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

22.5%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Iron County 22.5%

Michigan 32.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Iron County 5.2%

Michigan 8%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,869

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

81%

College / Undergraduate

8.8%

Graduate / Professional

4.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

12.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Iron County

12.1%

Michigan

41.1%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,869	2,312,914	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	6%	5.6%	5.7%
K–12	81%	67.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	4.9%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	23.6%	19.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	27.8%	20.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.8%	22.2%	21.7%
College or graduate school	13%	26.5%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	8.8%	21.1%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4.2%	5.4%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	12.1%	41.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	86.2%	85.2%	82%
Private school	13.8%	14.8%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

9,009

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

3.7%

HS graduate

40.5%

Some college no degree

20.3%

Associates degree

11.5%

Bachelors degree

15.3%

Graduate or professional degree

7.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

71% · 29%

9th-12th, no diploma

60.8% · 39.2%

HS graduate

47.6% · 52.4%

Some college no degree

55.8% · 44.2%

Associates degree

45.8% · 54.2%

Bachelors degree

50.8% · 49.2%

Graduate or professional degree

52.9% · 47.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Population (25+)	9,009	7,008,507	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.5%	2.6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	3.7%	5.4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	40.5%	28%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.3%	21.9%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.5%	9.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.5%	32.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.3%	19.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	7.2%	12.7%	14.1%
High School or higher	94.7%	92.1%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$39,063

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$28,646

HS graduate

$33,640

Some college or associates

$38,622

Bachelors degree

$56,779

Graduate or professional degree

$72,411

Poverty Rate

4.6%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

31.1%

HS graduate

20.1%

Some college or associates

14.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

4.6%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Iron County	Michigan	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$39,063	$50,316	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$28,646	$31,851	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$33,640	$37,777	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$38,622	$44,844	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$56,779	$66,893	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$72,411	$85,195	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	31.1%	27.4%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	20.1%	15.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	14.4%	10.3%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.6%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Iron County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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