Postal Codes

49938 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 49938 covers Ironwood, Michigan, with a population of about 7,424 and a median household income of $44,379.

Population
7,42433 per square mile
Median age
51.713 points above the US average
Median household income
$44,37938% below the Michigan median
Poverty rate
13.7%1.3 points above the US average
Typical home value
$113,154up 33.5% in five years
Median rent
$59046% below the Michigan median
Degree or higher
23.5%11.5 points below the US average
Homeownership
78.2%13.2 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
207

Where 49938 is

Ironwood, Michigan — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population7,424
Median age51.7
Family households50.7%
Born outside the US0.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home2.6%
White (non-Hispanic)93.5%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.5%
Hispanic or Latino1.8%
Veterans10.1%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$44,379
Income per person$35,422
Poverty rate13.7%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance19.7%

Household income distribution

Under $10k6.5%
$10–15k7.1%
$15–20k7.8%
$20–25k6.0%
$25–30k8.8%
$30–35k4.0%
$35–40k4.1%
$40–45k6.7%
$45–50k2.2%
$50–60k8.6%
$60–75k13.4%
$75–100k6.3%
$100–125k6.1%
$125–150k3.6%
$150–200k5.2%
$200k or more3.6%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed3,390
Mean adjusted gross income$52,585
Returns declaring $200,000 or more1.8%
Returns, under $25k37.2%
Returns, $25k–$50k25.7%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.9%
Returns, $75k–$100k8.8%
Returns, $100k–$200k10.6%
Returns, $200k or more1.8%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$95,500
Median gross rent$590
Rent as a share of household income30%
Owner-occupied78.2%
Vacant homes19%
Median year built1944

What the homes are

Detached house86%
Attached house0.6%
2 to 4 units4.7%
5 to 19 units4.8%
20 or more units3%
Mobile home0.9%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$113,154as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 6.3%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 33.5%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 82.7%
Typical home value since 2000
201220192026$113,154$50,915

$53,411 in 2012 to $113,154 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate9.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher23.5%
High school diploma or higher94.8%
Works from home5.1%
Drives to work alone86.2%
Takes public transport0.5%
Commutes 45 minutes or more13.3%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity37.8% 4.4 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes14.8% 2.8 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes17.9% 4.7 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure42.4% 8.3 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health23.1% 2.8 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)6.8% 4.5 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression27.4% 5.5 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity28.8% 3.4 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis36% 10.9 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking15% 1 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication80.5% 5.8 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)11.3% 3.6 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.8% 1.4 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease9.8% 3.6 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year81.8% 5.1 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.8% 1.9 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability15.8% 1 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening69.4% 5.1 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD11.6% 5 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist65.4% 4.1 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability36.7% 6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support21.3% 3.5 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity16.4% 0.7 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps17.5% 3.2 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability10.2% 3.5 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol40.1% 3.9 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity11.3% 2.5 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability10.6% 2.2 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport8.7% 0.5 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness31.1% 3.3 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use75.2% 0.7 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)18.2% 1.4 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability18.4% 4.4 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)17% 3.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability5.1% 1.1 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat9.3% 0.5 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours33.8% 2.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.8% 1.4 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost12.3% 0.7 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability6.2% 0.6 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments207
People employed2,454
Annual payroll$89,909,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 46.9% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively Moderate across the 4 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss34 out of 100
Community resilience54.1 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Lightning98.7Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather95.8Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave93.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind87.1Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought71.4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail71.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide68.2Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire65.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding50.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm48.5Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Coastal flooding47.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado37.9Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake0.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Michigan and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMichiganUnited States
Median household income$44,379$71,149$78,538
Income per person$35,422$39,538$43,289
Poverty rate13.7%13.1%12.4%
Median home value$95,500$217,600$303,400
Median gross rent$590$1,084$1,348
Homeownership78.2%72.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher23.5%31.8%35%
Unemployment rate9.3%5.8%5.2%
Works from home5.1%12%13.5%
Born outside the US0.6%7%13.9%
Median age51.740.138.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationIRONWOOD #2, MI US1.6 km away

Average high and low by month

January20.3°F / 2°F
February25.8°F / 4.3°F
March37.2°F / 13.7°F
April49.2°F / 26.9°F
May63.5°F / 40.3°F
June72.9°F / 50.2°F
July77.3°F / 54.7°F
August75.7°F / 52°F
September67.6°F / 45.6°F
October53.4°F / 34°F
November37.6°F / 22.9°F
December26.1°F / 11.1°F
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket19% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarket3% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Ironwood Area Schools93.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Bessemer Area School District6.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability29more vulnerable than 29% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status19more vulnerable than 19% of US census tracts
Household characteristics46more vulnerable than 46% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status16more vulnerable than 16% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport52more vulnerable than 52% of US census tracts
Walkability4.5 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

54534 Hurley, WI3.6 km away
54525 Gile, WI6.4 km away
54550 Montreal, WI7.8 km away
49911 Bessemer, MI8.4 km away
49959 Ramsay, MI12.4 km away
54536 Iron Belt, WI14.8 km away
49968 Wakefield, MI16.6 km away
54565 Upson, WI21.2 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Gogebic County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area225.6 sq mi
Water area21.91 sq mi
Population density33 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude46.4638, -90.1588

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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