Unemployment in Arenac County, Michigan, is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Arenac County, 7.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Arenac County's score
In Arenac County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.5. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 58.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Arenac 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.
Arenac County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.0%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.8% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people217.9 · 202579th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,859 · 202473rd percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 41.0 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 rent15.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202749th 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 Arenac 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 Arenac County, 27.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Arenac County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Arenac County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 16% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Arenac County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Arenac County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.2% in 2018 to 16.7% in 2019.
The share of households in Arenac County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 15.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Arenac County, Michigan.
How Arenac County has changed
Arenac County's population rose most sharply from its first year (10,657 in 1969) to 12,874 in 1974.
Arenac County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 17,128 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Arenac County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Arenac County had its largest drop, from 5,351 in 2005 to 4,390 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Arenac County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 5,351 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Arenac County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 7.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,690 | 2024 $58,859 |
The table uses 7.8% for 2025; the score uses 7.3% 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 Arenac County's history
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 17,269. The 2020 Census counted 15,002, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in May 2020 did $4.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Arenac County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Arenac County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Arenac County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Arenac County ranks 3rd of the five; Iosco County is highest, at 42.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogemaw County, MI | 73 | 15.7% | 42.5% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 70 | 16.9% | 37.9% |
| Iosco County, MI | 59 | 14.4% | 42.8% |
| Arenac County, MI | 58 | 11.7% | 39.7% |
| Bay County, MI | 47 | 11.8% | 31.0% |
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 Arenac County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Arenac County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 54th 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, Arenac County ranks 24th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Arenac 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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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
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 Arenac 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 Arenac County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.