Houghton credits college students for population rise
The Portage Lake Lift Bridge is a major landmark in Houghton.[WDIO-TV file]
HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — An Upper Peninsula city is giving credit to college students for a rise in its official population. Houghton is the home of Michigan Tech University.
The city’s population rose nearly 9% to about 8,400 between 2010 and 2020, according to fresh census figures.
Michigan Tech students were encouraged to list Houghton as their home on census forms if they spent the majority of the year there. City Manager Eric Waara says Houghton "seemed to hit it really hard."
The census is important to local governments because money from many state and federal programs is determined by population.