County profile

Ontonagon County

Michigan · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
5,850
Median household income
$54,398
People below poverty
12.5%
Median home value
$111,700

Income

The median income of households in Ontonagon County, Michigan was $54,398. An estimated 6.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6.5
$10,000 to $14,999 3.9
$15,000 to $24,999 9.5
$25,000 to $34,999 10.6
$35,000 to $49,999 15.6
$50,000 to $74,999 21.2
$75,000 to $99,999 13.1
$100,000 to $149,999 14.4
$150,000 to $199,999 3
$200,000 or more 2.1

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 55636
Female 50107

An estimated 56.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 56.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 45.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,214. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 56.7
Social Security 56.7
Retirement income 45.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.4
Cash public assistance income 1.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 16% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 16
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13.2

In 2020-2024, 11.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 25.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 54.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 13.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 94.5% had health insurance coverage and 5.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 68% and public coverage was 60.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 5%.


In 2020-2024, Ontonagon County, Michigan had a total population of 5,850 - 2,834 (48.4%) females and 3,016 (51.6%) males. The median age was 59.8 years. An estimated 11.4% of the population was under 18 years, 18.1% was 19 to 44 years, 31% was 45 to 64 years, and 38.2 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 85 65
5 to 9 55 92
10 to 14 117 95
15 to 19 122 111
20 to 24 109 104
25 to 29 96 85
30 to 34 103 77
35 to 39 135 100
40 to 44 130 120
45 to 49 160 128
50 to 54 176 191
55 to 59 251 252
60 to 64 326 329
65 to 69 340 341
70 to 74 360 268
75 to 79 250 249
80 to 84 147 117
85 and over 54 110

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 92.6% were White; 0.5% were Black or African American; 6.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.4% were Asian; 0.2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 1.8% of the people in Ontonagon County, Michigan were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 92.3% of the people in Ontonagon County, Michigan were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 3,149 households in Ontonagon County, Michigan. The average household size was 1.84 people.

Married-couple households made up 48.6% of the households in Ontonagon County, Michigan while cohabiting couple households made up 5.8% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.5% of all households, while 25.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 22.1% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 36.5% of all households.

In Ontonagon County, Michigan, 14.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 49.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 48.6
Cohabiting Couples 5.8
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 56.1% of males and 60.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 24 16.6
Now married, except separated 56.1 60.4
Separated 1.2 0.2
Widowed 4.2 13.4
Divorced 14.5 9.4

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Ontonagon County, Michigan, 11 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 45.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.9% of the people living in Ontonagon County, Michigan were U.S. natives. 67.7% of the Ontonagon County, Michigan population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.1% of Ontonagon County, Michigan residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 90.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 90.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Ontonagon County, Michigan come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Ontonagon County, Michigan.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 7.8
Asia 35.9
Europe 34.4
Africa 0
Northern America 21.9
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 2.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.6% of people at least five years old; 0.3% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 0.6
Other Indo-European languages 0.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 0.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Ontonagon County, Michigan were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.8
Different house, same county 3.5
Different county, same state 1.5
Different state 4.1
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 94.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 18.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 5.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Ontonagon County, Michigan was 619 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 16 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 510. College or graduate school enrollment was 93.

Educational Attainment of People in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 5.5
High school diploma or equivalency 37.9
Some college, no degree 24.8
Associate's degree 13.3
Bachelor's degree 12
Graduate or professional degree 6.5

Disability

In Ontonagon County, Michigan, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 22 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.1% of people under 18 years old, to 18.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 31.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Ontonagon County, Michigan, 40.6 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 57.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 66.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 27% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,423 66.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 581 27
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 139 6.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Ontonagon County, Michigan worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 8.7
Construction 7.4
Manufacturing 8
Wholesale trade 0.5
Retail trade 10.4
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 8
Information 0.7
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 19.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 11.4
Other Services, except public administration 3.7
Public administration 10.4

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 713 33.2
Service occupations 505 23.5
Sales and office occupations 300 14
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 253 11.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 379 17.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 68.1% of Ontonagon County, Michigan workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 12.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 25 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 68.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 12.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.4
Walked 6
Other means 1.2
Worked from home 11.7

In 2020-2024, Ontonagon County, Michigan had a total of 5,238 housing units. Of these housing units, 90% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 5% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 90
Apartments in multi-unit structures 5
Mobile homes 5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

2.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 23.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Ontonagon County, Michigan was 5.3 rooms, and of these housing units 55% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Ontonagon County, Michigan had 3,149 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,089 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 87.1% while renters occupied 12.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 1.86 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.66.

4.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 24.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.7% and another 19.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Ontonagon County, Michigan:

House Heating Fuel Used in Ontonagon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 75.7
Electricity 5.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 4.4
All other fuels 12.9
No fuel used 1.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Ontonagon County, Michigan was $111,700.

Of the owner-occupied households, 34.6 % had a mortgage. 65.4% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,094 and for owners without a mortgage it was $463.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Ontonagon County, Michigan was $540. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.