About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Dickinson County, Michigan, have a job
In Dickinson County, 15.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dickinson County's score
In Dickinson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 47.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 29.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 57.7 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dickinson 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.
Even so, Dickinson County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 34.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.4% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,360 · 202442nd percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.8% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.7% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.7 · 202513th 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dickinson County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dickinson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Dickinson County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dickinson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2011 to 13.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Dickinson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.3%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 12.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dickinson County, Michigan.
How Dickinson County has changed
Dickinson County's population rose 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 27,497 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dickinson County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Dickinson County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 13,808 in 2015 to 12,777 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Dickinson County rose 4% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 14,343 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dickinson County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.8% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,600 | 2024 $69,360 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Dickinson County's history
1891
Dickinson County formed in 1891 from parts of Marquette, Menominee, and Iron counties. It is Michigan's newest county. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 29,941. The 2020 Census counted 25,947, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A tornado in September 2002 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dickinson County. FEMA
Dickinson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Dickinson County, in Michigan and Wisconsin, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dickinson County ranks 4th of the six; Iron County is highest, at 43.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, MI | 57 | 14.2% | 43.1% |
| Menominee County, MI | 36 | 13.0% | 31.9% |
| Marquette County, MI | 29 | 13.4% | 31.0% |
| Dickinson County, MI | 27 | 11.2% | 31.7% |
| Marinette County, WI | 19 | 11.8% | 31.9% |
| Florence County, WI | 8 | 10.2% | 26.5% |
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 Dickinson County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Dickinson County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 60th 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, Dickinson County ranks 71st of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.