COUNTY PROFILE - ONTONAGON, Michigan
LOCATION SERVICES
Bureau of Industrial Development
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295
Contact: Philip Musser, Manager
Phone: 906/487-2560
FAX: 906/487-2858
County Seat: Ontonagon
POPULATION
1970 Census 10548
1980 Census 9861
1990 Census 8854
Median Age (as of 1990) 40.2 years
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
Total Labor Force 3725
Employed 3325
Total Unemployment 400
Unemployment Rate 10.6%
3-Year Average 8.5%
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
Firm Employees Product/Service
Copper Range, White Pine 1075 Copper
Stone Container, Ontonagon 296 Corrugated paper
Lakeshore, Ontonagon 250 Pontoons
EARNING LEVELS
Average Hourly Rate
Classification Minimum Maximum
Assembler - Light $5.80 $7.65
Clerk, General Office $6.02 $7.28
Electrical Technician $4.30 $8.83
Forklift Operator $7.48 $8.59
General Laborer $5.57 $8.38
Inspector $8.10 $9.07
Machine Operator $7.07 $8.13
Machinist $7.83 $10.80
Secretary $5.99 $7.89
Welder $7.11 $9.88
Source: Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for
inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
DISTANCE TO:
Miles Kilometers
Chicago 430 691
Duluth 160 257
Lansing 500 804
Milwaukee 340 547
Minneapolis 330 530
TRANSPORTATION
Main Highways: M-26, M-28, M-38, M-64, M-107, US-45
Bus Lines: White Pine Express
Truck Lines: 1
Rail Lines: Escanaba & Lake Superior; Wisconsin Central
Ports: Ontonagon Harbor
Airports: Hancock (60 miles)
Airlines: Northwest Air Link
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Ontonagon.
January Average Minimum: 8 F./-13 C. Average Maximum: 24 F./ -4 C.
July Average Minimum: 54 F./ 12 C. Average Maximum: 78 F./ 26 C.
Growing Season: 110 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C: 25 Average Annual Rainfall: 31 in./ 79 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C: 5 Average Annual Snowfall: 118 in./300 cm.
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
Community Sites Acres Hectares Industrial Parks
Carp Lake Twp. 2 122 49 0
Interior Twp. 4 0 0 0
Ontonagon Twp. 1 0 0 1
Rockland Twp. 1 300 121 0
Stannard Twp. 5 228 92 0
COUNTY TOTAL 13 650 263 1
Zero acres indicates less than half an acre or no information available.
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
Residential Industrial Office Mercantile
Units Value Units Value Units Value Units Value
1991: 43 $1.52 4 $0.09 2 $0.46 2 $0.11
3-Year Average: 33 $1.37 2 $0.38 3 $0.25 1 $0.06
Values are reported in millions of dollars. A 3-year average value of 1 may
indicate no construction activity in one or more of the last three years.
NEW INCORPORATIONS
Incorporations in 1992: 11 State Median: 68
Incorporation Rate: 124 State Median: 183
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
Agricultural Residential Industrial Commercial Other
8% 43% 19% 8% 22%
County Total State Equalized Value: $121,007,438.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991): 54.35
UTILITIES
Electric Gas Telephone*
Ontonagon U.P. Power Mich. Power Co. Ontonagon Co.
White Pine U.P. Power Mich. Power Co. Ontonagon Co.
* D=digital switching; EA=equal access to interexchange carriers;
see Source List note.
WATER
Gallons Liters Pressure
Source Capacity Use Capacity Use (lbs./sq.in.)
Ontonagon Lake 7 6 27 23 25-75
White Pine Wells
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
SEWER
Gallons Liters
Type Capacity Load Capacity Load
Ontonagon Primary 10 4 38 13
White Pine
Capacity and present load in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
1990 Master Public Library
Community Phone Number Population Zoning Plan (Volumes)
Ontonagon 906-884-2305 2040 yes yes 24,310
White Pine no no 14,528
------- Fire Department ------- Police
Community Class. FT Paid PT/Volunt. (Full-Time) Solid Waste
Ontonagon 7 30 1 Independent
White Pine 8/9 25
County Sheriff Officers: 7 Licensed Landfills in County: 2
Other communities in Ontonagon County (1990 population for incorporated
communities in parenthesis):
Bergland Twp. (618), Bohemia Twp. (90), Bruce Crossing, Carp Lake Twp. (1193),
Ewen, Greenland Twp. (1001), Haight Twp. (218), Interior Twp. (480), Mass City,
Matchwood Twp. (122), McMillan Twp. (650), Merriweather, Ontonagon Twp. (3238),
Paulding, Rockland Twp. (371), Silver City, Stannard Twp. (873), Trout Creek,
Victoria
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
K-12 Instruc. High
Community School District Students Staff Schools
Ontonagon Ontonagon Area 797 36 1
White Pine White Pine 195 79 1
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
Name and Location Enrollment
Gogebic Community College, Ironwood (65 mi.) 1318
Michigan Technological University, Houghton (60 mi.) 6921
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (100 mi.) 8652
Suomi College, Hancock (60 mi.) 527
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Hospitals in County: 1 Total Beds: 87
Nearest Large Medical Center: Marquette (100 miles)
Extended Care Facilities: 2 Total Beds: 151
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County: 7
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
Owner occupied: 2949 ( 81.%) Median Home Value: $28,100.00
Renter occupied: 692 ( 19.%) Median Contract Rent: $192.00
Churches: Catholic: 4 Protestant: 25
Synagogues: 0 Nearest synagogue is in Houghton (52 miles)
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park; Porcupine Mountain State Park
(downhill and cross-country skiing); Lake of the Clouds; 3 snowmobile
trails (76 miles); recreational harbor facilities at Ontonagon on Lake
Superior. Rockland - old Victorian mining town restoration. County Fair;
Log Jam-Boree (Sept.)
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
General Building Contractors 5
Metalworking Machinery 0
Commercial Printing 0
Advertising 0
Personnel Supply Services 0
Computer and Data Processing Services 0
Legal Services 2
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping 1
Retail Establishments 81
Wholesale Establishments 8
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986): 333
Television Channels: 1 plus cable
Radio Stations: 3
Newspapers: Ontonagon Herald
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993) Offices
Main Office in County
The Citizens State Bank of Ontonagon Ontonagon 3
The First National Bank in Ontonagon Ontonagon 2
The State Bank of Ewen Ewen 1
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
Earnings
Employment ($ millions)
1985 1990 1985 1990
Total Employment 3182 4430
Total Income $85.42 $126.24
Earnings by Place of Work $48.92 $96.89
Components by Type:
Wage and Salary 2352 3567 $38.45 $76.72
Proprietors 830 863 $6.23 $9.42
Farm 171 148 $0.68 $1.56
Nonfarm 659 715 $5.56 $7.86
Components by Industry:
Farm 191 164 $0.74 $1.64
Nonfarm 2991 4266 $48.18 $95.25
Private 2203 3539 $35.82 $80.20
Agric./For./Fish. $0.16
Mining
Construction 140 173 $1.94 $2.71
Manufacturing 653 733 $15.05 $22.66
Non-Durable Goods --- --- $10.11 $12.52
Durable Goods --- --- $4.94 $10.14
Transp. & Utilities 96 148 $2.18 $4.33
Wholesale Trade 50 91 $1.21 $2.46
Retail Trade 560 702 $4.20 $6.25
Fin./Ins./Real Est. 124 116 $1.31 $1.70
Services
Government 788 727 $12.36 $15.05
Federal 67 82 $1.40 $1.77
Military, Civilian 21 20 $0.11 $0.13
State and Local 700 625 $10.85 $13.15
Earnings by Place of Residence $44.62 $73.96
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
Per Capita Income: 1985: $9,501.00 1990: $14,250.00
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