About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Branch County, Michigan, is not working
In Branch County, 23.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 66% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Branch County's score
In Branch County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 64.4. People with a credit card behind: 8.2%, August 2025, higher than in 86% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 59.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Branch 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.
Branch County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (95.1, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 54.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,636 · 202456th percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.4% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.1 · 202533rd percentile
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- 42.8 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 rent16.4% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Branch 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 Branch County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Branch County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Branch County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 21.5% in 2004 to 29.9% in 2009.
In Branch County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Branch County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Branch County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 10.6% in 2009 to 12.4% in 2010; 15.3% in 2015 to 13.5% in 2016.
The share of households in Branch County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.6% 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, Branch County, Michigan.
How Branch County has changed
Branch County's population had its largest rise, from 35,792 in 1969 to 39,691 in 1974.
Branch County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 46,791 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Branch County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Branch County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 15,735 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Branch County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,680 | 2024 $64,636 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Branch County's history
1829
October 29, 1829 (created) 1833 (organized). Wikipedia
1963
A tornado in April 1963 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $250 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 45,787. The 2020 Census counted 44,862, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2026
A tornado in March 2026 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Branch County. FEMA
Branch County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Branch County, in Michigan and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Branch County ranks 3rd of the six; Hillsdale County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| Branch County, MI | 56 | 13.2% | 29.7% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 53 | 12.8% | 30.3% |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 52 | 12.3% | 26.4% |
| Steuben County, IN | 28 | 9.4% | 24.1% |
| LaGrange County, IN | 17 | 8.4% | 14.8% |
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 Branch County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Branch County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 40th 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, Branch County ranks 27th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Branch 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.
Download the CSV for Branch 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 Branch County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.