About one in 12 people in Emmet County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Emmet County, 8.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Emmet County's score
In Emmet County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Emmet 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, Emmet County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 46.1 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 rent17.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202745th percentile
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- 21.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.1% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,295 · 202421st percentile
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- 21.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.3% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.1 · 202526th percentile
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- 15.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.9% · second quarter of 202615th 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 Emmet 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 Emmet County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Emmet County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Emmet County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Emmet County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Emmet County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.2% in 2009 to 11.4% in 2011, 1.6 points each year.
The share of households in Emmet County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.4%
Low on the chart: 6.8% 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, Emmet County, Michigan.
How Emmet County has changed
Emmet County's population had its largest rise, from 17,695 in 1969 to 21,127 in 1974.
Emmet County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33,949
High on the chart: 34,023 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Emmet County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Emmet County had its largest rise, from 13,756 in 1995 to 16,229 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Emmet County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 17,859
High on the chart: 17,883 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Emmet County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,853 | 2024 $79,295 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Emmet County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,112, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Emmet County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Emmet County beside its neighbors
Of the two counties that border Emmet County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Emmet County ranks 2nd of the three; Cheboygan County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheboygan County, MI | 48 | 12.5% | 32.6% |
| Emmet County, MI | 19 | 8.4% | 22.4% |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 17 | 9.9% | 22.2% |
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 Emmet County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Emmet County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 76th 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, Emmet County ranks 76th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Emmet 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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Northern Homes Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Emmet County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.