Chlamydia diagnoses in Houghton County run about 86% lower than the US average. Whether you're in Houghton County, Michigan, for a one-time concern or regular check-ups, you'll find both community and public clinics, often low-cost or free, as well as private labs, which tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. Check below to find what best fits your needs.
Available testing centers
8 testing options are listed for Houghton, MI. The nearest, Portage Physician Practices, is about 1.0 miles away. Compare 5 community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
Listings tagged Community health center are federally funded health centers and rural clinics that treat everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay: required to bill on a sliding fee scale and provide confidential care, and in many states minors may consent to their own STI testing. A Title X tag flags centers funded for confidential family-planning services; confirm current participation when you call.
Source: CMS FQHC & Rural Health Clinic enrollment files (data.cms.gov), refreshed quarterly. Title X status reflects the latest OPA grantee list.
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 1 mile from Houghton. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Houghton Family Health Center, in Houghton, earned its federal qualification by meeting strict primary-care standards, which means STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia is available on a sliding-scale fee tied directly to what each patient earns, with no appointment required to be seen.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Western Upper Peninsula Health Department in Hancock tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C on a sliding scale, and every service carries no fee. Same-visit treatment is available for bacterial infections; an appointment is required.
For anyone paying out of pocket without a regular provider, the absence of a fee at Western Upper Peninsula Health Department extends beyond the test itself: treatment, vaccines, and counseling are all covered. No service is billed separately, and no portion is left to negotiate after the visit.
Stopping short of hepatitis C testing means a second appointment elsewhere, and a gap where an infection can go unmanaged. Western Upper Peninsula Health Department adds hepatitis C to its panel, so that gap doesn't open in the first place.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Hancock Family Health Center in Hancock welcomes patients whether they carry insurance, pay out of pocket, or are navigating a gap in coverage. Federal qualification anchors its sliding-scale fees to income. Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening is available without an appointment.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 9 miles from Houghton. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Free tool · not a clinic
Testing too soon can miss an infection. Enter the date of possible exposure to see the earliest a test can reliably detect each STI.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Conclusive after |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Gonorrhea | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Trichomoniasis | 7 days after exposure | 28 days after exposure |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10 days after exposure | 33 days after exposure |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18 days after exposure | 45 days after exposure |
| HIV (antibody) | 21 days after exposure | 84 days after exposure |
| Syphilis | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis B | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis C | 56 days after exposure | 77 days after exposure |
| Herpes (HSV) | 28 days after exposure | 112 days after exposure |
Guidance only, confirm timing with a clinician. A negative result before the conclusive date may need a repeat test.
Typical out-of-pocket ranges by option, actual cost depends on which tests you need.
Public / community clinic
Free HIV testing is common
Private lab (self-pay)
Never billed to insurance
At-home kit
Mailed to your door, private
Doctor / urgent care
Often $0 preventive with insurance
No centers match those filters. Clear the service-type filter or the opening-hours filters to see every center.
Every other option
Beyond the dedicated testing centers above: at-home kits by mail, hospital labs certified for STI testing, local clinicians who can order a panel during a regular visit, pharmacies for self-test kits and prescriptions, and online PrEP & treatment.
Test from home
The nearest testing center is about 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Houghton, you collect the sample privately, and mail it back to a CLIA-certified lab. Results come online in days, with a clinician available if anything is positive. Same labs as a clinic, no waiting room, and you can read how accurate at-home STD tests are before you order.
Want a free option first? The CDC-supported TakeMeHome (opens in a new tab) program mails free at-home HIV self-test kits, and, in many areas, free STI kits, to your door, with no insurance or payment needed. The paid kits below add broader panels and faster turnaround.
In-home collection
$79 & up
Best range: couples & full panels
$79 & up
Best value: single tests
$49 & up
Every kit uses CLIA-certified labs. At-home testing is for screening; a reactive result should be confirmed and treated by a clinician. Prices and panels shown are illustrative and change often, confirm current details on the provider's site.
Also in the area
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Houghton County, each lab's town is shown on its card below. Many test through a doctor's order or by appointment rather than walk-in, so call ahead to confirm STD/STI testing and availability before visiting.
787 Market Street, Hancock, MI 49930
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
540 Depot Street Suite 229, Hancock, MI 49930
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
500 Campus Drive, Hancock, MI 49930
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Houghton. A CLIA certificate records only that a laboratory is federally certified — it does not confirm the site performs STD testing, nor its hours, price or access. Inclusion is not an endorsement; always call to verify.
Local clinicians
Beyond dedicated clinics, 98 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Houghton. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 10 offer telehealth.
Shannon Handler, NP
Nurse practitioner · 1000 Cedar Street, Houghton
Jenny Bausano, NP
Nurse practitioner · 921 West Sharon Avenue, Houghton
Heather Soucey
Nurse practitioner · 1400 Poplar Street, Hancock
Danielle Hamlin
Nurse practitioner · 500 Campus Drive, Hancock
Kevin Johnson, NP
Nurse practitioner · 500 Campus Drive, Hancock
Tayler Ruby, NP
Nurse practitioner · 506 Campus Drive, Hancock
These are registry-listed clinicians, not dedicated STD-testing clinics. CMS records do not independently verify current licensure, testing services, availability, price, or new-patient status. Confirm each detail before booking. Source: CMS Doctors & Clinicians.
Nearby pharmacies
No pharmacy near Houghton, MI publishes an STD-related service or holds a current CLIA testing certificate, so these are simply the closest. Contact a location directly to confirm counter hours, services, prices, and availability before visiting.
0.9 mi Shopko Stores Operating
0.9 miPH Copper Country Apothecaries
1.0 miUpper Great Lakes Family Health Center
1.0 mi
1.1 mi Aspirus Keweenaw Enterprises
2.2 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Houghton, MI.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Houghton, telehealth covers the rest: HIV-prevention medication (PrEP) and DoxyPEP to lower future risk, and discreet online treatment if a result comes back positive. All prescribed by licensed U.S. clinicians.
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
Pricing varies by insurance and changes often, confirm on the provider's site. These services are not a substitute for emergency care.
STD stats & rates
How reported STI rates in Houghton County, the county that includes Houghton, compare with Michigan and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~67% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#80 of 83 Michigan counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 4% of the state
| Infection | Houghton County | Michigan | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 69.2 26 cases ▼ 84% | 429.5 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 13.3 5 cases ▼ 91% | 152.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | — no data | 8.4 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | — no data | 8.7 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 2.7 1 cases ▼ 79% | 13 | 29.5 |
Rates per 100,000 population, 2023. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis). Population figures: U.S. Census Bureau ACS. These figures are the latest available surveillance estimates. Bars are scaled to the highest rate shown.
Reading these numbers: reported case rates only count infections that were actually tested for and diagnosed, so they track local screening effort as much as true spread: a higher rate can reflect more testing, a lower one less. Either way, most STIs cause no symptoms, so treat the figures above as context rather than a verdict, and test on the CDC's schedule regardless of how your area looks.
Between 2020 and 2023 in Houghton County, chlamydia has fallen from 190 to 69.2 per 100,000 (64%), gonorrhea has fallen from 13.4 to 13.3 per 100,000 (1%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 5.4 to 5.4 per 100,000.
The 2020 dip reflects reduced pandemic-era screening, not lower transmission. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis).
Community health context
Sources: CDC PLACES (ZIP), County Health Rankings, CDC/ATSDR SVI, HRSA HPSA, HRSA MUA/P, Neighborhood Atlas ADI. Lower insurance coverage, fewer routine checkups, and a thin primary-care ratio all raise the value of low-cost public clinics and at-home testing in Houghton County.
Local HIV snapshot
Houghton County HIV care continuum (2023)
Houghton County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 8.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Houghton County residents living with HIV, 86.7% are in care · 86.7% are virally suppressed. Early, routine testing is what moves these numbers: it is the entry point to PrEP, treatment, and viral suppression.
Sources: AIDSVu (Emory/Gilead) · CDC AHEAD · CDC AtlasPlus · CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county care continuum). The CDC recommends everyone aged 13–64 test for HIV at least once: every lab and clinic listed above offers HIV testing, and free rapid HIV testing is available at a local health department.
Congenital syphilis, passed from parent to baby in pregnancy, is the fastest-rising STI in the country. U.S. cases climbed from 2,163 in 2020 to 3,882 in 2023. It is almost entirely preventable: the CDC recommends a syphilis test at the first prenatal visit, and every clinic and lab listed for Houghton County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
The Portage Lake Lift Bridge carries US 41 into a city where most households rent rather than own, and where the decision to schedule a health appointment often filters through the rhythms of shared living. With average households running above three people and fewer than one in five adults married, Houghton's domestic fabric is shaped heavily by roommates, housemates, and students moving in and out across academic calendars. Those arrangements make health conversations both more common and easier to defer.
The labor-force picture adds another layer. Fewer than half of residents are actively working or job-seeking, which reflects a student-heavy population where time and money run on entirely different tracks than in a typical Michigan city. Rent here is modest by statewide standards, but when fewer than one in six households clears six figures annually, out-of-pocket costs for anything discretionary still get weighed carefully. The options listed on this page range in fees and distance, and knowing what each charges before making the drive along College Avenue or up toward Hancock removes one real barrier for people who are budgeting tightly.
Houghton's age distribution is extraordinary even by college-town standards, with young adults in their late teens and twenties forming the clear majority of residents. Houghton County's STI figures reflect that concentration directly, and for anyone living here year-round through multiple partner cycles and housing transitions, staying current on screening is simply what that demographic reality asks of a person.
Getting there
At 7.81/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Houghton generally mean driving: plan on a car or rideshare to reach a clinic, and check each listing's hours and phone before you go.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 49931 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 49931 area around Houghton: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Houghton alone.
Houghton sits in Houghton County, ZIP 49931. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Houghton? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
Reference
Everything to know before you test in Houghton County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Michigan law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Based on current CDC screening recommendations.
| Group | Tests | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone aged 13–64 | HIV | At least once |
| Sexually active women under 25 | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Women 25+ with new or multiple partners | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Pregnant people | HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C, chlamydia | Early in pregnancy |
| Gay & bisexual men (MSM) | Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV | Every 3–6 months |
| Anyone who shares injection equipment | HIV, hepatitis B & C | At least yearly |
| All adults at least once | Hepatitis C | At least once |
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Houghton-area provider.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Gonorrhea | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Trichomoniasis | 1–4 weeks | Urine or swab |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10–33 days | Blood |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18–45 days | Blood |
| HIV (antibody) | 3–12 weeks | Blood / oral |
| Syphilis | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis B | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis C | 8–11 weeks | Blood |
| Herpes (HSV) | 4–16 weeks (antibody); swab a sore | Blood / swab |
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Houghton often test free or on a sliding scale; private labs and at-home kits bundle several tests into one fee. Use this as a per-test benchmark before you pay out of pocket, or see the full guide to STD test costs for insurance, free, and at-home options.
| Test | Reference price | CPT / HCPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87491 |
| Gonorrhea (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87591 |
| Trichomoniasis (NAAT) | $47.76 | 87661 |
| HIV-1/2 antigen/antibody | $26.87 | 87389 |
| HIV-1/2 antibody | $22.44 | 86703 |
| Syphilis (RPR/VDRL) | $5.61 | 86592 |
| Syphilis (treponemal antibody) | $17.49 | 86780 |
| Herpes (HSV NAAT) | $47.76 | 87529 |
| Hepatitis B surface antigen | $15.33 | 87340 |
| Hepatitis C antibody | $29.16 | 86803 |
Source: Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, CMS, 2025 rates (data.cms.gov). Reference rate for the lab assay only: a clinic visit, sample collection, or a bundled multi-test panel may cost more. Medicaid and most insurers cover STD screening at no out-of-pocket cost.
Two things that actually depend on Michigan law: who can consent, and whether partners can be treated without their own visit. Everything else about testing privately is the same nationwide (see below).
In Michigan, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Michigan permits Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT): if you test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea, your provider can give you medication (or a prescription) to pass to your partner, no separate exam or appointment needed for them.
Keeping a test private works the same in every state. Whether an STD test shows on insurance (the EOB), how to test anonymously, and self-pay options that leave no insurance trail don’t change by location.
Learn more about confidential STD testing in MichiganSource: Guttmacher Institute, Minors' Access to STI Services; CDC, Legal Status of Expedited Partner Therapy. General information, not legal advice.
Good to Know
Answers to the questions people ask most before getting tested.
The closest is Portage Physician Practices (1 mi); 5 options are within 30 miles.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Public clinics nearby offer free HIV testing.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 69 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Michigan average.
In Michigan, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 49931; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
Medical records are protected under federal HIPAA law, ask the clinic how it handles your information.
It's reassuring, but if you tested early in the window period, retest a few weeks later to be sure.
Most STIs have no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know your status, get early treatment, and avoid passing one on.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.