About one in 11 people in Barry County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Barry County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barry County's score
In Barry County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 18.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barry 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.
Barry County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 49.1 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84.6 · 202527th percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.2% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 18.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,939 · 202417th 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 Barry 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 Barry County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barry County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barry County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Barry County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.6% in 2017 to 8.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Barry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Barry County, Michigan.
How Barry County has changed
Barry County's population had its largest rise, from 34,686 in 1969 to 41,165 in 1974.
Barry County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 64,025, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 59,493. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barry County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Barry County rose by more than half to 13,286, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 10,569. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barry County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,849 | 2024 $81,939 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Barry County's history
1829
April 29, 1829 (established) March 15, 1839 (organized). Wikipedia
1939
Petroleum discovered in Barry County 1939. Wikipedia
1956
A tornado in April 1956 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 62,423, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barry County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Barry County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barry County ranks 5th of the seven; Calhoun County is highest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 42 | 11.6% | 18.9% |
| Ionia County, MI | 31 | 10.5% | 25.2% |
| Eaton County, MI | 31 | 8.2% | 23.4% |
| Kent County, MI | 29 | 9.2% | 14.8% |
| Barry County, MI | 26 | 9.0% | 19.6% |
| Allegan County, MI | 16 | 8.2% | 19.7% |
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 Barry County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Barry County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 72nd 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, Barry County ranks 72nd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barry 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 South Central Michigan
Legal aid
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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
Legal aid
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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.
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 Barry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.