Alcona County, Michigan
More than double the national median for unemployment — and 26.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Alcona County, Michigan ranks 1,701st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 8% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
- 1,701st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 51st in Michigan.
- 8% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Transfer-income dependency at 42% — national median 27%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 58th percentile.
- Default & Legal domain score 26 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 22-point drop to Alpena County marks where the Michigan distress corridor ends.
"Alcona County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Alcona County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 7th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 39th percentile. The gap stands out against disability rate and transfer-income dependency. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Harrisville.
The Indicators Behind Alcona County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Alcona County's value shown alongside MI's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Alcona | MI median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 8 · Rank 3,060 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 4% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 14% | 19% | 23% | 8th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 26 · Rank 2,568 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 15% | 20% | 23% | 18th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 95 | 114 | 126 | 34th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,607 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 21% | 21% | 58th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 16% | 20% | 18% | 39th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 112 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 8% | 5% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 64 · Rank 1,013 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 18% | 18% | 81st | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 16% | 16% | 93rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 14% | 14% | 66th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 42% | 31% | 27% | 95th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 7th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Alcona County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 151-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HARRISVILLE, Mich. — Alcona County ranks 1,701st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 48 out of 100 places Alcona in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,700 counties rank more distressed. Within Michigan, Alcona ranks 51st of 83 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Alcona. 8% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
"Alcona County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alcona County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Alcona County's distress score?
How does Alcona County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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