In Alcona County, Michigan, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2007
In 2024, 42 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Alcona County's score
In Alcona County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 14.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.0%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Alcona County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Alcona County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (8.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (23.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year8.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,966 · 202484th percentile
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- 45.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 25.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.7% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.3 · 202533rd percentile
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- 14.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Alcona County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Alcona County, 37.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Alcona County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Alcona County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 34.2% in 2004 to 44.7% in 2009.
In Alcona County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Michigan
In Alcona County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Alcona County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2011 to 14.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Alcona County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Alcona County, Michigan.
How Alcona County has changed
Alcona County's population rose most sharply from its first year (6,434 in 1969) to 8,558 in 1974.
Alcona County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 11,641 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Alcona County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Alcona County rose most sharply from its first year (1,258 in 1990) to 1,576 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Alcona County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,876 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Alcona County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.0% | 2025 9.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,563 | 2024 $53,966 |
The table uses 9.5% for 2025; the score uses 8.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Alcona County's history
1840
Established 1840 organized 1869. Wikipedia
1908
Metz Fire 1908, largest modern forest fire in Michigan. Wikipedia
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 11,719. The 2020 Census counted 10,167, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Alcona County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Alcona County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Alcona County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Alcona County ranks 3rd of the four; Oscoda County is highest, at 44.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscoda County, MI | 83 | 16.5% | 44.0% |
| Iosco County, MI | 59 | 14.4% | 42.8% |
| Alpena County, MI | 45 | 16.7% | 38.1% |
| Alcona County, MI | 44 | 15.1% | 42.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Alcona County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Alcona County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 21st highest of 83 in Michigan (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Lake County, at 24.2%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Alcona County ranks 50th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Alcona County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services of Northern Michigan
Legal aid
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Michigan Legal Help
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Alcona County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Alcona County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.