Unemployment in Calhoun County, Michigan, is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Calhoun County, 5.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Calhoun County's score
In Calhoun County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 71.6. About three in ten people with a credit file (31.0%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 76% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 70.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Calhoun 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.
Calhoun County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.0% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people169.5 · 202566th percentile
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- 70.1 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 rent21.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.2% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,049 · 202454th 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Calhoun County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Calhoun County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Calhoun County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.4% in 2010 to 17.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Calhoun County, Michigan.
How Calhoun County has changed
Calhoun County's population fell 6% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 143,021 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Calhoun County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Calhoun County had its largest rise, from 56,680 in 1990 to 65,230 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Calhoun County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 65,230 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Calhoun County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,512 | 2024 $65,049 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Calhoun County's history
1829
Established 1829 organized 1833. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 141,963. The 2020 Census counted 134,310, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in May 2011 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in August 2023 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Calhoun County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Calhoun County beside its neighbors
Calhoun County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Calhoun County ranks 2nd of the seven; Hillsdale County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Branch County, MI | 56 | 13.2% | 29.7% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 53 | 12.8% | 30.3% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 42 | 11.6% | 18.9% |
| Eaton County, MI | 31 | 8.2% | 23.4% |
| Barry County, MI | 26 | 9.0% | 19.6% |
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 Calhoun County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Calhoun County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 25th 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, Calhoun County ranks 10th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.