Auto · County · Michigan
Gas stations in Houghton County, MI
How Houghton County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,506 of 2,358 scored counties
#40 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 20
- 17 chain locations (85%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $37.6M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,629 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Houghton County
The site report maps the gas stations on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Houghton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 gas stations in Houghton County. Of those, 17 are chain locations, or 85%, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 14.0 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $2,629 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Houghton County spend about $37.6M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That works out to $1.9M per station, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 18 businesses with payroll in Houghton County classed as gasoline stations. That is one for every 795 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Houghton County grew 1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Houghton County scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #1,506 of 2,358 scored counties and #40 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Houghton County compares
The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all gasoline and other fuels by the gas stations counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 13.6 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $1.9M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 795 | 1,152 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,629 | $2,576 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 148
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2017 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Houghton County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the gas stations on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houghton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGas stations across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for gas stations, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Houghton County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ottawa County, MI | 79 | 105 | 9.4 | $3.1M | +3.9% | #170 of 2,358 |
| 2Livingston County, MI | 75 | 83 | 10.9 | $2.8M | +1.7% | #262 of 2,358 |
| 3Benzie County, MI | 71 | 6 | 7.8 | $3.7M | +3.1% | #361 of 2,358 |
| 4Clinton County, MI | 71 | 34 | 10.7 | $2.8M | +1.6% | #374 of 2,358 |
| 5Barry County, MI | 68 | 32 | 13.1 | $2.3M | +2.2% | #465 of 2,358 |
| 6Kent County, MI | 67 | 251 | 9.8 | $2.7M | +2.5% | #484 of 2,358 |
| 7Allegan County, MI | 67 | 57 | 12.5 | $2.4M | +2.1% | #491 of 2,358 |
| 8Leelanau County, MI | 67 | 14 | 14.5 | $2.1M | +3.0% | #498 of 2,358 |
| 9Kalamazoo County, MI | 66 | 86 | 8.0 | $3.2M | +0.8% | #512 of 2,358 |
| 10Lapeer County, MI | 66 | 42 | 12.1 | $2.5M | +1.0% | #525 of 2,358 |
| 40Houghton County, MI | 42 | 20 | 14.0 | $1.9M | +1.6% | #1,506 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Houghton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gas stations are in Houghton County, MI?
Houghton County has 20 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (85%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.
How much do households in Houghton County, MI spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $37.6M a year, or $2,629 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Houghton County has 14.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.9M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Houghton County would have about 16, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 795 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Houghton County scores 42 for gas stations (lower middle), #1,506 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton County. It maps the gas stations on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for gas stations · All 56 business types in Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Houghton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.