CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

47.04° N · 88.53° W · GEOID 2614900

Chassell

Houghton County, Michigan · part of the Houghton, MI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MichiganChassell, MIChassellChassell

The short answer

Chassell is home to 899 people. Median household income is $54,148 a year and median rent is $711 a month, 15.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $167,600, about 3.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$711
48% below the median place
Median household income
$54,148
33% below the median place
Median home value
$167,600
48% below the median place
Unemployment
5.7%
17% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Chassell

  • Between the 2020 and 2023 surveys, rent rose 15% a year while household income rose 1.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 176 Michigan places.
  • 82% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 173 Michigan places.
  • 24% of homes stand vacant, more than in 92% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 142 Michigan places.
  • Median rent is $711 a month, lower than in 96% of places its size.
  • Households average 1.99 people, smaller than in 94% of places its size.
01

Moving to Chassell

Houghton County loses about 4.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,270
Moved out1,389
Net−119

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Baraga County, MI4461−17

Within Michigan, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MichiganOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$53K
Leavers$46K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Houghton County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Houghton County report $52,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $46,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$28,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $711 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,074 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $167,600.
Getting to work
18 minutes each way on average; 11.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Kenmar, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
7.5%
30% above the median place
Income of households moving out6
$46,447
34% below the median place
Income of households moving in6
$52,774
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.5%30% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.3%66% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-4.3below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$52,77425% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$46,44734% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 81.6%, 61% above the median place.

Chassell15.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$28,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.8%
23% below the median place
Home price to income
3.1x
18% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
16%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$45,500
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Chassell, $711 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Chassell.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Chassell? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
81.6%
61% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,074
43% below the median place
Vacant homes1
23.6%
234% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$71148% below
Rent to income115.8%23% below
Property tax rate10.9%2% above
Home price to income13.1x18% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,03336% below
HUD area median income3County figure$89,40017% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,55152% below
Median home value1$167,60048% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.3%65% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure76.8%49% above
Homeownership184.4%27% above
Renters paying 30%+181.6%61% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,07443% below
Vacant homes123.6%234% above
Median year built119710% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 18 min, 29% below the median place.

Mean commute1
18 min
29% below the median place
Median household income1
$54,148
33% below the median place
Poverty rate1
17.0%
58% above the median place
All 9 work and pay measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$54,14833% below
Income per person1$44,80512% above
Unemployment1County figure5.7%17% above
Average annual pay5County figure$57,65613% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure12,47692% below
Poverty rate117.0%58% above
Mean commute118 min29% below
Works from home1County figure11.0%11% below
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 99.3%, 7% above the median place.

High school or higher1
99.3%
7% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place
Median age1
49.4
27% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18996646th largest
Median age149.427% above
Bachelor's or higher142.8%33% above
High school or higher199.3%7% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad1County figure5.3%40% below
No health insurance1County figure5.1%20% below
Homes with broadband188.5%4% below
05

Life in Chassell

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

  • County Road C11-Pike River Bridge listed 1999
  • Chassell School Complex listed 2009

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.6 +13%
Shops37.1 +22%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.7 −22%
Child care centers3.4 +48%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools9
1
89% below the median place
Public school students9
192
96% below the median place
Students per teacher9
12.0
22% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9189% below
Public school students919296% below
Students per teacher912.022% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure23.613% above
Shops per 10k7County figure37.122% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure15.722% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure3.448% above
National Register listings8285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 70.7).

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Chassell. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk11
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Average temperature10
41°F
26% below the median place
Natural hazard risk11
24.3
74% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureChassellAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure77°F11% below
January average low10County figure7°F73% below
Average temperature10County figure41°F26% below
Annual precipitation10County figure30.6 in30% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure24.374% below
Hurricane risk11County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk11County figure6.292% below
Wildfire risk11County figure22.763% below
Heat wave risk11County figure10.788% below
08

Chassell in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, up from 16% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$711/mo (2023)$990/mo$800 to $1,220/mo+4.8%
Median household income$54,148 (2024)$67,500$57,000 to $80,000+3.8%
Median home value$167,600 (2024)$239,000$173,000 to $329,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 3.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.1 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Chassell

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Kenmar, PA$826$58,857Compare
Columbiana, OH$702$54,688Compare
Abingdon, VA$838$54,544Compare
Hermitage, PA$896$70,052Compare
Hermitage, PAAbingdon, VAColumbiana, OHKenmar, PAChassell, MIChassellKenmarColumbianaAbingdonChassellKenmarColumbianaAbingdon

Common questions

Is Chassell a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2020 and 2023 surveys, rent rose 15% a year while household income rose 1.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 176 Michigan places. 82% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 173 Michigan places. On cost, space and class size it scores 72 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Chassell expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $167,600.

What salary do you need to live in Chassell?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $28,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Chassell?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Kenmar, PA, Columbiana, OH, Abingdon, VA and Hermitage, PA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Chassell with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Chassell itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/chassell-michigan

Citytistics. “Chassell, Michigan.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/chassell-michigan/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.