About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Bay County, Michigan, have a job
In Bay County, 18.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bay County's score
In Bay County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 63.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 26.1. People with a credit card behind: 3.6%, August 2025, lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bay 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, Bay County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (232.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people232.2 · 202582nd percentile
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- 49.3 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,751 · 202455th percentile
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- 26.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.1% · second quarter of 202637th 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 Bay 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 Bay County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bay County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bay County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Bay County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bay County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (12.3% in 2009) to 14.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Bay 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: 12.3% 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, Bay County, Michigan.
How Bay County has changed
Bay County's population had its largest drop, from 116,677 in 1984 to 112,061 in 1989.
Bay County's population fell 12% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 121,074 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bay County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Bay County had its largest drop, from 40,916 in 2000 to 37,646 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Bay County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 40,916 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bay County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 6.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,681 | 2024 $64,751 |
The table uses 6.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% 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 Bay County's history
1857
Founded on February 17, 1857. Wikipedia
1975
Defoe Shipbuilding ceased operations December 31, 1975. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 119,881. The 2020 Census counted 103,856, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $2.2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Hail in July 2014 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in June 2017 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bay County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bay County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bay County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bay County ranks 5th of the six; Arenac County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saginaw County, MI | 83 | 16.8% | 31.7% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 70 | 16.9% | 37.9% |
| Arenac County, MI | 58 | 11.7% | 39.7% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 56 | 11.3% | 34.8% |
| Bay County, MI | 47 | 11.8% | 31.0% |
| Midland County, MI | 27 | 9.5% | 20.9% |
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 Bay County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Bay County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 52nd 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, Bay County ranks 42nd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bay 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.
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 Bay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.