Unemployment in Berrien County, Michigan, is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties
In Berrien County, 4.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Berrien County's score
In Berrien County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 68.3. Housing costs come next, at 64.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Berrien 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.
Berrien County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (92.6, 2025) and people with a disability (14.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 64.0 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 45.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,882 · 202443rd percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.6 · 202532nd 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 Berrien 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 Berrien County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Berrien County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Berrien County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 18.4% in 2004 to 24.8% in 2009.
In Berrien County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Berrien County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Berrien County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.7% in 2017 to 14.5% in 2018.
The share of households in Berrien County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 14.2%
Low on the chart: 13.0% 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, Berrien County, Michigan.
How Berrien County has changed
Berrien County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 173,635 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Berrien County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Berrien County had its largest drop, from 68,298 in 2000 to 62,516 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Berrien County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 69,367 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Berrien County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,708 | 2024 $68,882 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Berrien County's history
1829
October 29, 1829 (created) 1831 (organized). Wikipedia
1948
Truscott Boat Manufacturing struggled Depression, bankruptcy 1948. Wikipedia
1970
Silver Beach Amusement Park shut down 1970. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 171,276. The 2020 Census counted 154,316, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1988
A thunderstorm in July 1988 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A rip current in July 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A rip current in August 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Berrien County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Berrien County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Berrien County, in Michigan and Indiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Berrien County ranks 3rd of the five; Van Buren County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 63 | 15.4% | 22.1% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 63 | 13.6% | 26.3% |
| Berrien County, MI | 53 | 13.4% | 24.8% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 49 | 13.6% | 27.7% |
| Cass County, MI | 46 | 12.7% | 24.2% |
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 Berrien County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Berrien County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 38th 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, Berrien County ranks 30th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Berrien 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 Aid of Western 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.
Download the CSV for Berrien 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 Berrien County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.