States · Michigan · Marquette County

West Ishpeming, Michigan.

A community in Marquette County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Marquette County’s.

Living in West Ishpeming, Marquette County, Michigan

West Ishpeming, in Marquette County, had 2,552 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $95,129 a year and half less, against $65,429 across Marquette County; 5% of its people live below the poverty line. 94% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 6% are rented. Unemployment in Marquette County was 4.9% in August 2026, and the county had 2.0% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most people in Marquette County work in schools and health care, then shops.

People 2,552 in the 2020 census; median age 41.5
Household income $95,129 the median, give or take $23,712 · Marquette County: $65,429
Unemployment 4.9% Marquette County, August 2026; 5.1% a year before
Homes 94% lived in by their owners; 6% rented
  • 1,107households
  • 34%of adults have a degree
  • 5%below the poverty line
  • 21 mintypical commute
  • 4%work from home

What people in Marquette County work in

  • Schools, hospitals and social care28%
  • Shops (retail)13%
  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment12%
  • Professional and business services7%
  • Manufacturing7%
  • Building trades6%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Marquette County had 26,924 jobs in 2025, 2.0% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 22° and 6°; warmest in July, 78° and 53° 0° 20° 40° 60° 80° J 22° 6° F M A M J J 78° 53° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 22° and 6°; warmest in July, 78° and 53° 0° 20° 40° 60° 80° J 22° 6° F M A M J J 78° 53° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 22° and lows near 6°; warmest in July, with highs near 78° and lows near 53°. About 30 inches of rain and melted snow a year.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Ishpeming Wwtp weather station, a mile away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Marquette County

  1. Marquette General HospitalGeneral hospital1,289FTE
  2. Northern Michigan UniversityUniversity or college1,098
  3. WalmartWarehouse clubs and supercenters489
  4. Marquette Area Public SchoolsSchool district434FTE
  5. Marquette County Medical Care FacilitySkilled nursing facilities270
  6. MeijerRetail266
  7. Bell Memorial HospitalCritical access hospital264FTE
  8. Michigan Department of CorrectionsPrisons262

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 67 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 7,078 people in all across the county; West Ishpeming has one of its own. Hospitals come from their Medicare cost reports (CMS, 2023), colleges from IPEDS (NCES, 2023–24) and school districts from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. Cold wavesVery high
  2. HailRelatively high
  3. Winter weatherRelatively high
  4. LightningRelatively moderate
  5. Strong windRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in West Ishpeming’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively low. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Marquette County.