48470 ZIP Code — Ruth, MI

Huron County, Michigan

ZIP code 48470 is located in Ruth, Michigan, within Huron County. It covers approximately 40.29 square miles and serves a population of 579 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 989.

About ZIP code 48470

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $159,500. Owner-occupancy is high at 86%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $53,472. 43% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with agriculture and mining as the leading industry. The average commute of 23 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 11% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (22%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include a notable veteran presence at 13% of civilians, above the national average of 7%.

Overall, ZIP code 48470 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, a strong veteran community, high homeownership, and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

579

population

40.29

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

48470 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 48470

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 48470. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Ruth	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

48441 Harbor Beach (4.2 mi) 48456 Minden City (5.9 mi) 48465 Palms (9.3 mi) 48413 Bad Axe (11.9 mi) 48475 Ubly (12.5 mi) 48468 Port Hope (14.4 mi) 48427 Deckerville (15.1 mi) 48472 Snover (18.3 mi) 48445 Kinde (18.9 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	579
Population density	14 / sq mi
State FIPS	26
County FIPS	063

Geography
Land area	40.29 sq mi
Water area	0.01 sq mi
Latitude	43.7437
Longitude	-82.7597
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	989

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	51.7%	50.4%	42.6%
$50k – $100k	38.1%	33.1%	31.1%
$100k – $200k	7.9%	13.7%	20.6%
Over $200k	2.3%	2.8%	5.7%

Demographics & statistics

579

Population

People per sq mi

51.6

Median age

$53,472

Median household income

$29,431

Per capita income

$159,500

Median home value

$950

Median monthly rent

85.9%

Home ownership

11.2%

Poverty rate

5.6%

Unemployment

274

Housing units

10.6%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

Under 5

5–9

10–14

15–19

20–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

55–59

60–64

65–74

75–84

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	85	14.7%
18 and over	494	85.3%
65 and over	170	29.4%
Median age	51.6 years

Race & ethnicity

White 93.5%

Two or more races 3.2%

Black or African American 1.5%

Hispanic or Latino 1.2%

Other race 0.3%

Asian 0.2%

Group	Count	%
White	548	93.5%
Two or more races	19	3.2%
Black or African American	9	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	7	1.2%
Other race	2	0.3%
Asian	1	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	51.7%	50.4%	42.6%
$50k – $100k	38.1%	33.1%	31.1%
$100k – $200k	7.9%	13.7%	20.6%
Over $200k	2.3%	2.8%	5.7%

Under $10k 4.7%

$10k–$15k 2.2%

$15k–$25k 12.6%

$25k–$35k 15.9%

$35k–$50k 11.2%

$50k–$75k 24.5%

$75k–$100k 12.3%

$100k–$150k 13.7%

$150k–$200k 0.7%

$200k+ 2.2%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.7%
$10k–$15k	2.2%
$15k–$25k	12.6%
$25k–$35k	15.9%
$35k–$50k	11.2%
$50k–$75k	24.5%
$75k–$100k	12.3%
$100k–$150k	13.7%
$150k–$200k	0.7%
$200k+	2.2%
Median income	$53,472

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 10.5%

$50k–$100k 18.1%

$100k–$150k 18.1%

$150k–$200k 17.6%

$200k–$300k 17.6%

$300k–$500k 10.5%

$500k–$1M 6.7%

$1M+ 0.8%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$159,500
Median rent / month	$950
Owner occupied	85.9%
Renter occupied	14.1%
Vacant	11.5%
Single-family detached	96.8%
Large apartment buildings	0.0%
Mobile homes	3.2%
Median rooms	6.5
Avg household size (owned)	2.03

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	1.0%
2000–2009	4.8%
1990–1999	8.0%
1980–1989	5.8%
1970–1979	20.1%
1960–1969	8.0%
1950–1959	12.5%
1940–1949	10.5%
1939 or earlier	29.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.6%
1 bedroom	0.0%
2 bedrooms	18.2%
3 bedrooms	56.9%
4 bedrooms	19.5%
5+ bedrooms	4.8%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	2.5%
1 vehicle	25.3%
2 vehicles	49.5%
3 or more	22.7%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	27.4%
Electricity	8.7%
Propane / LP gas	37.2%
Fuel oil	12.6%
Wood	8.3%
No fuel used	1.1%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	165	59.6%
Cohabiting couple	5	1.8%
Male householder, no spouse	47	17.0%
Female householder, no spouse	60	21.7%
Households with children under 18	41	14.8%
Households with seniors (65+)	128	46.2%
Average household size	2.09

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	24.0%	14.8%
Married	65.0%	64.6%
Separated	0.0%	0.0%
Widowed	3.1%	16.7%
Divorced	7.9%	3.9%

Education

Less than 9th grade 3.9%

Some HS, no diploma 3.9%

HS graduate 56.8%

Some college, no degree 14.0%

Associate's degree 10.8%

Bachelor's degree 8.9%

Graduate / professional 1.7%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	92.2%
Bachelor's or higher	10.6%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	8	13.6%
Kindergarten	1	1.7%
Elementary school	20	33.9%
High school	23	39.0%
College / grad school	7	11.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Agriculture & mining 27.2%

Manufacturing 23.5%

Education & healthcare 12.1%

Retail trade 10.7%

Construction 9.6%

Transportation & utilities 5.5%

Public administration 3.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 2.6%

Other services 2.6%

Professional & management 1.8%

Finance & real estate 1.1%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	35.3%
Service	11.4%
Sales & office	17.3%
Natural resources & construction	15.4%
Production & transportation	20.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	68.4%
Government	9.9%
Self-employed	21.7%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	68.3%
Carpool	6.7%
Public transit	1.1%
Walk	8.6%
Work from home	14.6%
Other means	0.7%
Avg commute (minutes)	23.3

Poverty

All people 11.2%

Under 18 years 22.4%

18 and over 9.3%

Married-couple families 2.4%

Female-led households 45.5%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	43.0%
Retirement income	25.6%
Supplemental Security	2.5%
Cash public assistance	0.4%
Food stamps / SNAP	2.5%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	35.0%
High blood pressure	36.0%
High cholesterol	34.6%
Diabetes	11.8%
Heart disease	8.0%
Stroke	3.7%
Asthma	11.1%
Arthritis	32.2%
Kidney disease	3.3%
Pulmonary disease	9.2%
Cancer	7.6%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	22.4%
Binge drinking	18.7%
No physical activity	23.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	34.6%
Depression	22.3%
Fair or poor health	16.4%
Poor mental health	16.5%
Poor physical health	12.1%
No health insurance	10.7%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.4%
Visited dentist	66.7%
Cholesterol screening	90.7%
Teeth loss	15.1%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	64	13.0%

Disability	%
Any disability	14.2%
Under 18	4.7%
18–64 years	10.2%
65 and over	26.5%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	72.5%
Public insurance	44.2%
No insurance	3.1%
Uninsured under 19	0.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	537	92.7%
Spanish	0	0.0%
Other Indo-European	0	0.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	577	99.7%
Born in same state	577	99.7%
Born in different state	559	96.5%
Foreign born	0	0.0%
Naturalized citizen	2	0.3%
Not a US citizen	0	0.0%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	25	4.3%
Italian	20	3.5%
French	11	1.9%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	5	0.9%
German	2	0.3%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	47.8%
Internet access	84.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 48470

What city is ZIP code 48470 in?

ZIP code 48470 is primarily assigned to Ruth, Michigan.

What county is ZIP code 48470 in?

ZIP code 48470 falls within Huron County, Michigan.

Does ZIP code 48470 have an older population?

29% of residents in ZIP code 48470 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 48470?

11% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

Is ZIP code 48470 mostly owner-occupied?

86% of occupied units in ZIP code 48470 are owner-occupied, well above the national average.

Does ZIP code 48470 have a large retiree population?

43% of households in ZIP code 48470 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What timezone is ZIP code 48470 in?

ZIP code 48470 observes the EST timezone.