COUNTY PROFILE - GOGEBIC, 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: Bessemer
POPULATION
1970 Census 20676
1980 Census 19686
1990 Census 18052
Median Age (as of 1990) 40.2 years
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
Total Labor Force 7500
Employed 6725
Total Unemployment 750
Unemployment Rate 10.1%
3-Year Average 9.1%
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
Firm Employees Product/Service
Gogebic Community College, Ironwood 500 Community college
Grandview Hospital 172 Health care
Bessemer Plywood, Bessemer 110 Veneer and plywood
Norco of Michigan 110 Windows
Blackjack Ski 100 Ski hill
Fox Point Sportswear, Ironwood 100 Textiles
Indian Head Ski, Wakefield 100 Resort
Bid Powderhorn 93 Resort
Steiger Lumber, Bessemer 60 Sawmill
Connor Forest Industry, Wakefield 50 Lumber, millwork
Globe Concrete & Supply, Ironwood 25 Concrete products
Jacquant Fabrics 20 Textiles
Everson Tool and Machine, Ironwood 10 Machine shop
Corullo Forest Products, Wakefield 5 Sawmill
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 400 643
Detroit 590 949
Duluth 100 160
Lansing 530 852
Minneapolis 250 402
Toronto 600 965
TRANSPORTATION
Main Highways: M-28, M-64, US-2, US-45
Bus Lines: Greyhound; White Pine Transit
Truck Lines: 4
Rail Lines: Wisconsin Central
Ports: None
Airports: Gogebic County, Ironwood
Airlines: Great Lakes Aviation
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Ironwood.
January Average Minimum: 1 F./-17 C. Average Maximum: 20 F./ -7 C.
July Average Minimum: 55 F./ 13 C. Average Maximum: 79 F./ 26 C.
Growing Season: 111 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C: 43 Average Annual Rainfall: 35 in./ 89 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C: 4 Average Annual Snowfall: 156 in./396 cm.
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
Community Sites Acres Hectares Industrial Parks
Bessemer 4 131 53 1
Bessemer Twp. 2 120 49 0
Erwin Twp. 2 0 0 0
Ironwood 26 244 99 1
Ironwood Twp. 1 0 0 0
Marenisco Twp. 1 0 0 0
Wakefield 1 0 0 0
COUNTY TOTAL 37 495 200 2
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: 47 $1.72 1 $0.02 3 $0.78
3-Year Average: 51 $2.68 0 $0.01 1 $0.03 4 $1.72
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: 36 State Median: 68
Incorporation Rate: 199 State Median: 183
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
Agricultural Residential Industrial Commercial Other
1% 54% 2% 12% 31%
County Total State Equalized Value: $192,461,822.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991): 55.93
UTILITIES
Electric Gas Telephone*
Bessemer Northern States Northern States Michigan Bell
Ironwood Northern States Northern States Michigan Bell, D,EA
Ironwood Twp. Northern States Northern States Michigan Bell, D,EA
Wakefield Local Northern States Michigan Bell
* 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.)
Bessemer Wells 3 9 50-80
Ironwood Wells 28 14 106 53 64-90
Ironwood Twp. Ironwood 0 1 150
Wakefield Wells 34 129 60-70
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
SEWER
Gallons Liters
Type Capacity Load Capacity Load
Bessemer Prim. & Sec. 8 4 30 13
Ironwood Act. Sl. & Pri. 150 87 568 329
Ironwood Twp. Act. Sludge 4 1 13 3
Wakefield Lagoons 40 2 151 7
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)
Bessemer 906-661-0333 2272 yes no 9,852
Ironwood 906-932-5050 6849 yes no 30,721
Ironwood Twp. 2303 yes yes 30,721
Wakefield 906-229-5131 2318 yes no 20,573
------- Fire Department ------- Police
Community Class. FT Paid PT/Volunt. (Full-Time) Solid Waste
Bessemer 7 25 Municipal
Ironwood 6 15 16 Municipal
Ironwood Twp. 8/9 46
Wakefield 7 20 Municipal
County Sheriff Officers: 12 Licensed Landfills in County: 0
Other communities in Gogebic County (1990 population for incorporated
communities in parenthesis):
Alanson, Bessemer Twp. (1374), Erwin Twp. (477), Marenisco Twp. (959), North
Ironwood, Ramsay, Thomaston, Wakefield Twp. (452), Watersmeet Twp. (1048)
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
K-12 Instruc. High
Community School District Students Staff Schools
Bessemer Bessemer City 551 30 1
Ironwood Ironwood Area 1499 70 1
Wakefield Wakefield Twp 498 28 1
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
Name and Location Enrollment
Gogebic Community College, Ironwood 1318
Michigan Technological University, Houghton (100 mi.) 6921
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (135 mi.) 8652
Suomi College, Hancock (100 mi.) 527
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Hospitals in County: 1 Total Beds: 72
Nearest Large Medical Center: Ashland, WI (35 miles)
Extended Care Facilities: 3 Total Beds: 221
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County: 24
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
Owner occupied: 5822 (78.2%) Median Home Value: $23,300.00
Renter occupied: 1627 (21.8%) Median Contract Rent: $187.00
Churches: Catholic: 7 Protestant: 26
Synagogues: 0 Nearest synagogue is in Houghton (109 miles)
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park; Lake Gogebic State Park; Copper
Peak. Blackjack Ski Resort (downhill and cross-country); Indianhead
Mountain Resort and Mt. Zion (downhill and cross-country); 130 miles of
snowmobile trails; Black River Harbor Drive (Bessemer to Lake Superior);
recreational harbor facilities at Black River on Lake Superior. Gogebic
Community College, Ironwood. County Fair (August).
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
General Building Contractors 3
Metalworking Machinery 1
Commercial Printing 2
Advertising 3
Personnel Supply Services 1
Computer and Data Processing Services 1
Legal Services 8
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping 6
Retail Establishments 148
Wholesale Establishments 21
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986): 1070
Television Channels: 1 plus cable
Radio Stations: 3
Newspapers: Ironwood Daily Globe; Wakefield News
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993) Offices
Main Office in County
First of America Bank-Upper Peninsula, Marquette 3
MFC First National Bank Ironwood 2
The First National Bank in Ontonagon Ontonagon 1
The First National Bank of Wakefield Wakefield 1
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
Earnings
Employment ($ millions)
1985 1990 1985 1990
Total Employment 6377 7337
Total Income $178.46 $234.07
Earnings by Place of Work $79.96 $112.50
Components by Type:
Wage and Salary 5066 5839 $61.63 $86.18
Proprietors 1311 1498 $13.32 $18.68
Farm 89 78 $0.19 $0.37
Nonfarm 1222 1420 $13.13 $18.31
Components by Industry:
Farm 102 89 $0.28 $0.46
Nonfarm 6275 7248 $79.69 $112.05
Private 4867 5606 $54.59 $77.10
Agric./For./Fish. 70 58 $0.77 $0.53
Mining $0.37 $0.18
Construction 214 244 $5.11 $5.59
Manufacturing 580 994 $8.65 $19.61
Non-Durable Goods --- --- $0.94 $3.08
Durable Goods --- --- $7.71 $16.54
Transp. & Utilities 185 252 $4.16 $5.90
Wholesale Trade 130 126 $2.42 $2.87
Retail Trade 1550 1567 $13.05 $14.95
Fin./Ins./Real Est. 390 481 $3.84 $5.69
Services 1747 1883 $16.23 $21.79
Government 1408 1642 $25.10 $34.94
Federal 164 188 $4.09 $5.05
Military, Civilian 43 40 $0.22 $0.26
State and Local 1201 1414 $20.79 $29.64
Earnings by Place of Residence $80.60 $113.15
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
Per Capita Income: 1985: $9,445.00 1990: $12,986.00
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