Ontonagon County, Michigan
More than double the national median for unemployment — and 25.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Ontonagon County, Michigan ranks 1,680th 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%.
- 1,680th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 49th in Michigan.
- 8% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Transfer-income dependency at 47% — national median 27%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 65th percentile.
- Default & Legal domain score 36 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 16-point drop to Houghton County marks where the Michigan distress corridor ends.
"Ontonagon 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.
Ontonagon County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 9th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 31st percentile. The gap stands out against transfer-income dependency. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Ontonagon.
The Indicators Behind Ontonagon County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Ontonagon County's value shown alongside MI's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Ontonagon | MI median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 7 · Rank 3,093 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 0% | 4% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 8th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 13% | 19% | 23% | 7th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 36 · Rank 2,168 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 17% | 20% | 23% | 26th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 118 | 114 | 126 | 46th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 44 · Rank 1,818 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 21% | 21% | 65th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 20% | 18% | 23rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 111 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 8% | 5% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 61 · Rank 1,135 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 18% | 18% | 77th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 16% | 16% | 85th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 14% | 14% | 46th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 47% | 31% | 27% | 95th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 9th | 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 Ontonagon County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 151-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ONTONAGON, Mich. — Ontonagon County ranks 1,680th 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 49 out of 100 places Ontonagon in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,679 counties rank more distressed. Within Michigan, Ontonagon ranks 49th 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 Ontonagon. 8% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
"Ontonagon 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 Ontonagon County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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