In Cass County, Michigan, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Cass County, 18.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cass County's score
In Cass County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 32.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cass 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.
Cass 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.
- 67.8 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 working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110.4 · 202541st percentile
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- 46.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 45.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,579 · 202441st percentile
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- 32.7 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Cass 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 Cass County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cass County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cass County had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 2004 to 26.8% in 2009.
In Cass County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cass County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.9% in 2022 to 12.4% in 2023.
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 12.8%
Low on the chart: 10.8% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cass County, Michigan.
How Cass County has changed
Cass County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 51,550, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 52,362 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cass County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Cass County had its largest drop, from 10,239 in 2005 to 8,284 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Cass County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 8,284 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cass County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,217 | 2024 $69,579 |
The table uses 5.2% 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 Cass County's history
1986
A tornado in June 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in October 2001 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 52,293. The 2020 Census counted 51,589, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in August 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A tornado in March 2026 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cass County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cass County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Cass County, in Michigan and Indiana, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cass County ranks 4th of the six; Van Buren County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 63 | 15.4% | 22.1% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 56 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Berrien County, MI | 53 | 13.4% | 24.8% |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 52 | 12.3% | 26.4% |
| 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 Cass County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Cass County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 44th 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, Cass County ranks 45th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cass 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.
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 Cass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.