Michigan County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 83 counties in Michigan, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 52.3. 31counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Michigan Snapshot
83 Counties Scored
52.3 Mean Score
52.1 Median Score
85.7 Wayne County Most Distressed
21.7 Livingston County Least Distressed
7 Most distressed fifth24 Second-most distressed fifth30 Middle fifth17 Second-least distressed fifth5 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution Michigan County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 83 Michigan counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Michigan's 83 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Michigan Counties
83 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Wayne County | 85.7 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 257 | Genesee County | 75.5 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 3 | 343 | Clare County | 72.9 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 4 | 356 | Saginaw County | 72.6 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 5 | 505 | Calhoun County | 69.2 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 6 | 521 | Oscoda County | 68.8 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 7 | 573 | Lake County | 68.1 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 8 | 637 | Montmorency County | 66.9 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 9 | 649 | Osceola County | 66.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 10 | 687 | Ogemaw County | 65.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 11 | 698 | Muskegon County | 65.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 12 | 712 | Roscommon County | 65.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 13 | 723 | Kalkaska County | 65.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 822 | Isabella County | 63.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 15 | 834 | Crawford County | 63.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 16 | 842 | Wexford County | 63.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 17 | 847 | Arenac County | 63.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 18 | 862 | Jackson County | 62.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 19 | 978 | Ingham County | 60.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 20 | 979 | Mecosta County | 60.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 21 | 1,001 | Gladwin County | 60.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 22 | 1,002 | Gogebic County | 60.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 23 | 1,019 | Iosco County | 60.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 24 | 1,028 | St. Clair County | 59.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 1,037 | Macomb County | 59.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 26 | 1,058 | Shiawassee County | 59.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 27 | 1,094 | Iron County | 58.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 28 | 1,097 | Luce County | 58.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 29 | 1,223 | Tuscola County | 56.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 30 | 1,245 | Berrien County | 56.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 31 | 1,258 | Lapeer County | 56.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 32 | 1,261 | Bay County | 56.0 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 33 | 1,268 | Manistee County | 56.0 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 34 | 1,328 | Gratiot County | 54.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 35 | 1,350 | Lenawee County | 54.4 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 36 | 1,352 | Hillsdale County | 54.4 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 37 | 1,382 | Otsego County | 54.0 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 38 | 1,401 | Cheboygan County | 53.5 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 39 | 1,425 | Branch County | 53.2 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 40 | 1,430 | Sanilac County | 53.1 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 41 | 1,445 | Monroe County | 52.9 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 42 | 1,474 | Newaygo County | 52.1 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 43 | 1,488 | Montcalm County | 51.9 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 44 | 1,491 | Van Buren County | 51.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 45 | 1,506 | Kalamazoo County | 51.5 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 1,508 | Missaukee County | 51.5 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 47 | 1,566 | Chippewa County | 50.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 48 | 1,647 | St. Joseph County | 49.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 49 | 1,680 | Ontonagon County | 48.5 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 50 | 1,681 | Mason County | 48.5 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 51 | 1,701 | Alcona County | 48.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 52 | 1,721 | Cass County | 47.9 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 53 | 1,727 | Delta County | 47.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 54 | 1,739 | Schoolcraft County | 47.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 55 | 1,750 | Ionia County | 47.4 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 56 | 1,754 | Mackinac County | 47.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 57 | 1,789 | Alpena County | 46.7 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 58 | 1,798 | Oceana County | 46.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 59 | 1,816 | Keweenaw County | 46.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 60 | 1,840 | Huron County | 45.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 61 | 1,873 | Marquette County | 45.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 62 | 1,930 | Midland County | 44.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 63 | 1,931 | Menominee County | 44.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 64 | 1,944 | Benzie County | 44.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 65 | 1,949 | Houghton County | 43.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 66 | 1,975 | Dickinson County | 43.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 67 | 1,985 | Presque Isle County | 43.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 68 | 2,010 | Eaton County | 43.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 69 | 2,045 | Baraga County | 42.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 70 | 2,046 | Kent County | 42.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 71 | 2,104 | Antrim County | 41.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 72 | 2,113 | Alger County | 41.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 73 | 2,139 | Washtenaw County | 40.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 74 | 2,222 | Barry County | 39.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 75 | 2,313 | Oakland County | 37.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 76 | 2,338 | Emmet County | 36.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 77 | 2,339 | Charlevoix County | 36.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 78 | 2,505 | Grand Traverse County | 32.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 79 | 2,548 | Allegan County | 32.0 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 80 | 2,616 | Ottawa County | 30.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 81 | 2,799 | Clinton County | 25.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 82 | 2,856 | Leelanau County | 24.1 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 83 | 2,942 | Livingston County | 21.7 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 7 Michigan counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 24 Michigan counties
Middle fifth — 30 Michigan counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 17 Michigan counties
Least distressed fifth — 5 Michigan counties