Iron County, Michigan

MI · FIPS 26071 Republican

Located in Michigan, Iron County has a population of 11,667 residents and a median age of 53.1 years, making it the #2,378 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 17.0%. The median home value is $109,100, and the median household income is $55,940, which is 26% below the national median.

11,667
Population
#2,378 of 3,222
$55,940
Median Income
-25.6% #2,408 of 3,222
53.1 years
Median Age
+36.5% #103 of 3,222
17.0%
Poverty Rate
+34.8% #2,295 of 3,222

Demographics

Iron County has a population of 11,667, making it the #2,378 most populous county in the US. The median age is 53.1 years, which is 36.5% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Iron County is $55,940, ranking #2,408 out of 3,222 counties — 25.6% below the national median. The poverty rate is 17.0% and unemployment stands at 5.4%.

Income#2,408
$55,940
-25.6%
vs nation
25th percentile
Per Capita#1,631
$34,784
-15.7%
vs nation
49th percentile
Poverty#2,295
17.0%
+34.8%
vs nation
29th percentile
Unemployment#2,220
5.4%
+1.0%
vs nation
31th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Iron County is $109,100 (-61.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $716/mo and the homeownership rate is 84.5%.

Home Value#2,863
$109,100
-61.3%
vs nation
11th percentile
Rent#2,660
$716
-38.4%
vs nation
17th percentile
Homeownership#148
84.5%
+31.2%
vs nation
95th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Iron County, 22.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 33.2% below the national average, ranking #1,576 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
22.5% −33.2% vs nation
Rank #1,576 of 3,222
51th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Iron County is 74.6 years. 18.3% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.7% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,740
74.6
-0.7%
vs nation
43th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,421
18.3%
-6.5%
vs nation
55th percentile
Diabetes#1,152
10.0%
-10.2%
vs nation
63th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#937
35.0%
-6.2%
vs nation
70th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,212
6.0
+5.5%
vs nation
30th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,403
4.3
-2.6%
vs nation
55th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,076
7.7%
-26.7%
vs nation
66th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,387
25.2%
-4.5%
vs nation
56th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,496
17.2%
+19.4%
vs nation
21th percentile

Substance Use

19.2% of adults in Iron County smoke , 37.1% are obese , and 21.8% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 32.0 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,042
19.2%
+6.9%
vs nation
35th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,172
37.1%
-2.1%
vs nation
63th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,292
21.8%
+9.5%
vs nation
27th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,268
32.0
-0.9%
vs nation
40th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 35.3 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 17.8 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#2,459
35.3
+78.9%
vs nation
4th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,326
17.8
-12.3%
vs nation
53th percentile

Families & Children

25.5% of children in Iron County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 22.1 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,673
22.1
+1.1%
vs nation
44th percentile
Child Poverty#2,546
25.5%
+34.3%
vs nation
19th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Iron County is 73.5%. The mean commute time is 21.4 min, which is 22.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
73.5% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
21.4 min −22.4% vs nation
Rank #2,639 of 3,222
18th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Iron County voted Republican with a margin of 29.4%. The vote was 34.7% Dem / 64.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.0 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +29.4%
34.7% 64.1%
Dem 7,027 votes Rep
2020 REP +25.4%
36.7% 62.1%
Dem 6,789 votes Rep
2016 REP +28.3%
33.9% 62.2%
Dem 5,910 votes Rep
2012 REP +9.0%
44.9% 53.9%
Dem 5,987 votes Rep
2008 DEM +2.2%
50% 47.8%
Dem 6,162 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Iron County, Michigan

Iron County, Michigan has a total population of 11,667, making it the 2,378th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Iron County is 53.1 years, which is 36.5% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Iron County is $55,940, which ranks #2,408 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 25.6% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 17.0%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.4%.

The median home value in Iron County is $109,100, 61.3% below the national median. Renters in Iron County pay a median gross rent of $716 per month. The homeownership rate is 84.5%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Iron County, 22.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 33.2% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 21.4 min.

Iron County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 90.6% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.3%).

All data for Iron County, Michigan comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.