Population 2,060 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Houghton
Household size in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.51 | 2.68 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.60 | 2.72 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.74 | 2.69 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.00 | 2.65 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.49 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Houghton is a place of big households: 3.00 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.51, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.9 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 22.1 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 22.1 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 23.4 | 40.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.5 | +2.5 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 23.4, Houghton is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults in their twenties.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.4% | 13.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 3.1% | 12.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.4% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −5.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 3.4% of households in Houghton, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Houghton
Renters in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.2% | 44.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 29.4% | 46.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 24.4% | 46.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 33.5% | 45.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +6.3 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Houghton is about as common as it is nationally: 33.5% of households rent, against 34.8%. Renters make up a smaller share here than in New York overall (45.7%). Among homeowners, 56.8% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.8% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.1% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 16.7% | 11.0% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.1% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −5.6 pts | −0.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Houghton: 15.1% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1965 | 1956 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1969 | 1957 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1965 | 1958 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1971 | 1961 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Houghton is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1971, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. Still, homes here are newer than in New York overall, where the median home dates to 1961.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $501 | $1,095 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $764 | $1,201 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $624 | $1,426 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $967 | $1,794 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$466 | +$698 | +$606 |
Rent in Houghton runs $967 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 18.0% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Houghton
Bachelor's degrees in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 49.6% | 31.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 50.6% | 33.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 50.0% | 36.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 51.6% | 39.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.0 pts | +8.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in Houghton: 51.6% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 90.2% | 84.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.5% | 84.9% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.8% | 86.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.2% | 87.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | −4.0 pts | +3.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in Houghton never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.2% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. That is in line with the rest of New York.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Houghton
| Period | Houghton | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 9.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | −1.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in Houghton: 6.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. The picture is much the same across New York. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Houghton compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton | 3.00 | 23.4 | 3.4% | 33.5% | 15.1% | 1971 | $967 | 51.6% | 86.2% | 6.3% |
| Hume | 3.03 | 37.9 | 13.1% | 14.7% | 32.3% | 1980 | $709 | 22.5% | 88.2% | 9.9% |
| Fillmore | 2.60 | 40.0 | 7.3% | 17.4% | 24.6% | 1969 | $742 | 29.2% | 92.1% | 6.8% |
| Caneadea | 2.35 | 49.2 | 6.1% | 12.0% | 50.4% | 1969 | $696 | 29.2% | 85.9% | 5.5% |
| Higgins | 3.18 | 37.4 | 14.4% | 13.3% | 35.9% | 1985 | $688 | 18.9% | 86.7% | 10.6% |
| Rushford | 2.42 | 46.2 | 4.8% | 11.9% | 46.6% | 1972 | $847 | 27.0% | 79.8% | 2.9% |
| Oramel | 2.21 | 52.0 | 6.3% | 15.8% | 40.8% | 1966 | $577 | 27.5% | 92.9% | 7.6% |
| Mills Mills | 2.53 | 39.4 | 8.5% | 18.0% | 19.8% | 1962 | $780 | 35.4% | 93.6% | 7.4% |
| Centerville | 3.02 | 37.6 | 14.0% | 15.6% | 30.2% | 1982 | $705 | 17.3% | 88.0% | 9.0% |
| Wiscoy | 2.45 | 40.0 | 7.0% | 19.0% | 17.9% | 1963 | $780 | 34.0% | 93.4% | 6.3% |
| Belfast | 2.41 | 48.7 | 7.7% | 13.8% | 40.9% | 1967 | $621 | 28.6% | 88.9% | 7.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Cape Carteret, NC · Cornersville, TN · Colerain, NC · Cobb, CA · Culebra, PR · Clymer, NY · Cleveland, MN · Clayton, WI · Cement City, MI · Cathro, MI
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Houghton. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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