akashic
1876–2024
Houghton County, Michigan
Houghton County·Michigan

Houghton County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

Copper Country's post-industrial shift mirrors Michigan's Upper Peninsula drift

18762024·38 elections
Houghton County, Michigan · Chris857 · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+17
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
37,693
2024 ACS
Most similar
Del Norte County
CA · similarity 0.99
58 precincts · 19,405 votes cast
Trump · R+17
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−17.0%
7,88111,18119,405
2020R
−14.2%
7,75010,37818,501
2016R
−15.6%
6,0188,47515,761
2012R
−9.1%
6,8018,19615,361
2008R
−3.9%
7,4768,10115,972
2004R
−13.6%
6,7318,88915,851
2000R
−15.5%
5,6887,89514,216
1996D
+0.1%
5,9575,94113,671
1992D
+6.5%
6,5585,57515,173
1988R
−4.3%
6,5107,09813,694
1984R
−14.6%
6,4348,65215,141
1980R
−6.5%
6,8587,92616,534
1976R
−4.5%
7,3528,04915,600
1972R
−17.0%
6,4029,05315,590
1968D
+2.5%
6,9886,63914,143
1964D
+32.0%
9,7615,02414,791
1960D
+1.6%
8,0217,76715,822
1956R
−16.7%
6,8669,62016,511
1952R
−19.5%
7,10010,56317,733
1948R
−15.0%
6,9259,54117,471
1944D
+5.0%
10,0669,11019,238
1940R
−1.0%
10,81511,03021,926
1936D
+10.8%
11,6429,34521,206
1932R
−21.5%
7,83812,30820,780
1928R
−25.9%
6,57311,24018,042
1924R
−76.7%
1,04513,83316,662
1920R
−63.6%
3,08814,93818,625
1916R
−25.5%
4,6158,01313,316
1912R
−9.7%
2,3853,57112,238
1908R
−54.1%
2,4249,35212,804
1904R
−65.4%
1,4718,85711,293
1900R
−51.2%
2,4228,01910,927
1896R
−48.5%
1,9966,1418,547
1892R
−9.8%
2,6073,3167,234
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
1.0%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
19.2%
Mainline Protestant
7.5%
Other Christian
5.6%
Methodist
2.3%
Non-Christian
0.9%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.3%
Baptist
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 63.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Once anchored by copper mining and a polyglot immigrant workforce, Houghton County has moved steadily toward Republican margins over recent cycles, with 2024's R+17 reflecting broader rural U.P. realignment rather than any single-election swing.

The Republican margin in Houghton County reached its widest at seventy-seven points in 1924. The margin in 2024 was seventeen points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Houghton County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $58,899, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 37,693 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Del Norte County and Ferry County.