Unemployment in Crawford County, Michigan, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Crawford County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crawford County's score
In Crawford County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.9. Income and the safety net comes next, at 64.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crawford 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.
Crawford County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 64.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability23.9% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,605 · 202476th percentile
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- 58.9 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 rent17.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.4% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people169.9 · 202566th percentile
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- 45.4 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 behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202656th 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County, 27.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crawford County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Crawford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 38.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Crawford County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.2% in 2019 to 13.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.3% 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, Crawford County, Michigan.
How Crawford County has changed
Crawford County's population had its largest rise, from 6,233 in 1969 to 7,987 in 1974.
Crawford County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,599
High on the chart: 14,591 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crawford County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,065, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 4,158 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crawford County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 7.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,929 | 2024 $57,605 |
The table uses 7.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 Crawford County's history
1840
Created by the Michigan Legislature as Shawono County in 1840, before being renamed in 1843 as Crawford County. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 14,273. The 2020 Census counted 12,988, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A thunderstorm in August 2015 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crawford County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crawford County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Crawford County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crawford County ranks 3rd of the five; Roscommon County is highest, at 45.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscoda County, MI | 83 | 16.5% | 44.0% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 80 | 16.3% | 45.7% |
| Crawford County, MI | 70 | 14.4% | 38.7% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 53 | 11.1% | 32.5% |
| Otsego County, MI | 45 | 8.5% | 28.2% |
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 Crawford County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Crawford County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 27th 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, Crawford County ranks 14th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crawford 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 Northern Michigan
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.
Download the CSV for Crawford 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 Crawford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.