Houghton County, Michigan Eviction Risk: Low

Houghton County carries a county-wide eviction-risk score of 3.6/10 (Low), placing it at rank 67 of 83 Michigan counties on the risk index, where rank 1 is highest risk. That position means 66 counties in Michigan are riskier and only 16 are less risky, putting Houghton County solidly in the lower-risk third of the state. For landlords and investors, that headline number signals a market that is materially more manageable than most of Michigan, though it is far from frictionless given an average poverty rate of 25.8% and an average rent burden of 39.2% across the county's renters.

The 15 cities that make up Houghton County span a narrower risk band than most comparable rural Upper Peninsula counties, with individual city scores ranging from 2.5 to 3.6 out of 10. Average rent runs $870 per month against a renter share of 46% of households, meaning rental demand is real but tenant financial stress is also present. Investors should treat that combination as a signal to underwrite carefully, particularly in the higher-scoring cities, rather than as a reason to avoid the county altogether.

The cities inside Houghton County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet, each scoring 3.6/10. Houghton is the county's largest city at a population of 8,474 and carries the full weight of that score, while Hancock (population 4,574) is a close neighbor with an identical reading. Calumet, though smaller at 645 residents, matches those two cities at the county ceiling. Lake Linden and Trimountain come in just below at 2.5/10, and Laurium scores 2.8/10. Risk in this county is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord operating in Houghton faces meaningfully different tenant-financial conditions than one just a few miles away in Dollar Bay or Atlantic Mine, both of which score 3.1/10, the lowest readings in the dataset.

Chassell, at 2.8/10 and a population of 899, represents a middle ground that may appeal to investors who want exposure to the broader Keweenaw peninsula rental market with somewhat lower risk indicators than the county seat. The spread from 3.5 to 4.1 is modest in absolute terms, but in a small, lower-income market those fractions translate to real differences in collection risk and vacancy pressure.

State-level laws that apply here

All Houghton County landlords operate under Michigan state law, specifically MCL § 554.601 et seq. For nonpayment of rent, the required notice is 7 days; a material lease violation or a no-cause termination of a month-to-month tenancy each require 30 days notice. A serious or repeat health and safety hazard also triggers a 7-day notice. Michigan does not require just cause for eviction and, importantly, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city within Houghton County can impose a rent cap. Source of income is not a protected class under state law, giving landlords flexibility in screening criteria. Understanding the full Michigan eviction process matters here because an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days, while a contested proceeding can run 45 to 120 days.

Total eviction costs under Michigan statute range meaningfully: court filing fees run $45 to $150, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $150, and attorney fees, if retained, range from $500 to $2,500. Landlords who want to keep those costs in check should review Michigan eviction costs in detail before proceeding. Retaliation protections for tenants are codified under MCL § 600.5720, and habitability obligations fall under MCL § 554.139, both of which are enforced regardless of local ordinance.

With 25.8% of residents living below the poverty line and 46% of households renting, the financial backdrop in Houghton County demands careful tenant screening; the city-by-city risk grid above pinpoints where that pressure is most concentrated.