Housing data for Houghton Lake, MI
Houghton Lake, MI has an estimated 5,769 residents and 4,648 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Roscommon County.
19.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $827 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+72.2%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 5,769 (±402)
- Housing units
- 4,648 (±204)
- Households that rent
- 19.2%
- Median gross rent
- $827
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +72.2%
What stands out in Houghton Lake
Rental vacancy rate: 0.0% (±5.4 points) in Houghton Lake, lower than in Roscommon County (8.2%).
Median home value: $126,200 (±$24,463) in Houghton Lake, lower than in Roscommon County ($158,700).
Median real estate taxes: $1,306 (±$144) in Houghton Lake, lower than in Roscommon County ($1,604).
Housing in Houghton Lake at a glance
- Median rent: $827 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $846 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 45.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 19.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $50,305 median household income
- Home values: $126,200 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,076 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,306 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 2.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 50.8% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 61.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 85.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 24.8 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +72.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 20.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Houghton Lake against Roscommon County, its state and the nation
| Houghton Lake | Roscommon County | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 5,769 (±402) | 23,737 (exact) | 10,077,761 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,648 (±204) | 23,213 (±70) | 4,622,236 (±795) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 19.2% (±4.7 points) | 14.6% (±1.9 points) | 26.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $827 (±$67) | $816 (±$38) | $1,129 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $50,305 (±$4,780) | $55,246 (±$2,903) | $72,875 (±$293) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $126,200 (±$24,463) | $158,700 (±$7,566) | $231,600 (±$642) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,306 (±$144) | $1,604 (±$97) | $2,904 (±$9) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 61.7% (±8.7 points) | 58.8% (±2.9 points) | 62.1% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.8 minutes (±4.6) | 24.3 minutes (±1.6) | 24.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 81.9% (±5.2 points) | 87.8% (±1.8 points) | 90.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 54.8 years (±4.8) | 57.7 years (±0.5) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Houghton Lake covers 10.8 square miles of land, about 537 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Houghton Lake has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,350 (±249) | 5,769 (±402) | +72.2% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 3,114 (±132) | 4,648 (±204) | +49.3% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $634 (±$53) | $827 (±$67) | +30.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $88,500 (±$10,000) | $126,200 (±$24,463) | +42.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $28,816 (±$6,173) | $50,305 (±$4,780) | +74.6% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $849 (±$65) | $1,076 (±$131) | +26.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,177 (±$98) | $1,306 (±$144) | +11.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 37.5% (±6.4 points) | 19.2% (±4.7 points) | −18.3 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.3% (±5.1 points) | 0.0% (±5.4 points) | −3.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Roscommon County
Houghton Lake has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Roscommon County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Roscommon County recorded 163 violent and 338 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Houghton Lake
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48630 | 100% | 61 | — | — | $62,019 |
| 48629 | 11% | 7,998 | $828 | $156,000 | $56,520 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Houghton Lake
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton Township | 4.0 mi | $794 | $163,200 | 22.0% |
| Prudenville | 4.2 mi | $856 | $163,300 | 32.6% |
| Lake Township (Roscommon County) | 5.8 mi | $798 | $299,100 | 8.0% |
| Markey Township | 6.6 mi | $839 | $166,300 | 16.1% |
| Butterfield Township | 8.4 mi | $893 | $103,300 | 15.8% |
| Enterprise Township | 10 mi | $870 | $168,800 | 40.8% |
| Holland Township | 10 mi | — | $142,900 | 5.5% |
| Backus Township | 11 mi | — | $167,900 | 15.9% |
Places in Michigan most like Houghton Lake
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgehampton Township | $738 | $123,400 | $50,278 | 18.4% |
| Surrey Township | $709 | $121,300 | $50,764 | 15.6% |
| Denton Township | $794 | $163,200 | $45,640 | 22.0% |
| West Monroe | $850 | $109,200 | $48,317 | 12.7% |
| Marcellus | $811 | $120,400 | $52,917 | 22.9% |
| Maple Grove Township (Manistee County) | $896 | $116,800 | $58,452 | 15.6% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Michigan.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Houghton Lake, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $723 | $775 | $1,014 | $1,232 | $1,695 |
HUD income limits for Houghton Lake, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17,600 | $29,300 | $46,850 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $33,450 | $53,550 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $37,650 | $60,250 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $41,800 | $66,900 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $45,150 | $72,300 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $48,500 | $77,650 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $51,850 | $83,000 |
| 8 people | $55,200 | $55,200 | $88,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Roscommon County, MI, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $73,300.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Houghton Lake is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside Roscommon Township, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Houghton Lake
What is the average rent in Houghton Lake, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Houghton Lake is $827 (±$67) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Houghton Lake?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Houghton Lake, MI is $475 (±$214) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Houghton Lake rent-burdened?
45.6% of renting households in Houghton Lake pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Houghton Lake?
Houghton Lake has an estimated 543 (±143) renting households, 19.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Houghton Lake?
The median household income in Houghton Lake is $50,305 (±$4,780) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Houghton Lake, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $126,200 (±$24,463) for owner-occupied homes in Houghton Lake (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Houghton Lake growing?
In Houghton Lake, the number of residents went from 3,350 in 2015–2019 to 5,769 in 2020–2024 (+72.2%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Houghton Lake?
The ZIP codes that cover Houghton Lake are 48630, 48629.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Roscommon County, MI
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Roscommon County, MI
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Houghton Lake CDP, Michigan (place:39400, in state:26).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .