About one in 12 people in Eaton County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Eaton County, 8.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Eaton County's score
In Eaton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 52.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Eaton 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.
Eaton 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.
- 52.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people170.9 · 202567th percentile
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- 51.6 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 rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 42.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.8% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 20.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,080 · 202420th 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 Eaton 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 Eaton County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Eaton County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Eaton County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Eaton County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Eaton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.9% in 2010 to 11.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Eaton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.8% 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, Eaton County, Michigan.
How Eaton County has changed
Eaton County's population nearly doubled to 109,494, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 87,968. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Eaton County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Eaton County more than doubled to 45,625, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 40,700. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Eaton County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,885 | 2024 $80,080 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Eaton County's history
1837
Eaton County was organized in 1837 from open territory. It was named after John H. Eaton, an American Secretary of War. Wikipedia
1977
A tornado in April 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in September 2001 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in August 2007 did $40 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 109,175, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Eaton County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Eaton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Eaton County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Eaton County ranks 4th of the seven; Calhoun County is highest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| Ingham County, MI | 66 | 18.1% | 22.8% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Ionia County, MI | 31 | 10.5% | 25.2% |
| Eaton County, MI | 31 | 8.2% | 23.4% |
| Barry County, MI | 26 | 9.0% | 19.6% |
| Clinton County, MI | 11 | 8.4% | 16.9% |
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 Eaton County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Eaton County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 79th 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, Eaton County ranks 66th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Eaton 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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Habitat for Humanity of Michigan
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Services Mid Michigan
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Eaton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.