Unemployment in Gladwin County, Michigan, is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Gladwin County, 6.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gladwin County's score
In Gladwin County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 73.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gladwin 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.
Gladwin County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (32.9%, Q2 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.5% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 73.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,272 · 202480th percentile
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- 60.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people189.5 · 202572nd percentile
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- 48.6 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.9% · second quarter of 202621st 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 Gladwin 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 Gladwin 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
Gladwin County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gladwin County had its largest rise, from 27.9% in 2004 to 38.4% in 2009.
In Gladwin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Gladwin County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gladwin County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 15.2% in 2010 to 17.2% in 2011; 18.4% in 2019 to 16.4% in 2020; 14.2% in 2023 to 16.2% in 2024.
The share of households in Gladwin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 14.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gladwin County, Michigan.
How Gladwin County has changed
Gladwin County's population had its largest rise, from 12,065 in 1969 to 16,444 in 1974.
Gladwin County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25,995
High on the chart: 26,971 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gladwin County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Gladwin County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 4,845 in 2005 to 3,933 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Gladwin County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,495
High on the chart: 4,845 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gladwin County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 7.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,780 | 2024 $56,272 |
The table uses 7.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.4% 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 Gladwin County's history
1831
1831 (created) 1875 (organized). Wikipedia
1996
Lightning in July 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 26,023. The 2020 Census counted 25,386, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in May 2020 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in May 2020 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gladwin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gladwin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Gladwin County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gladwin County ranks 5th of the seven; Roscommon County is highest, at 45.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 90 | 19.3% | 41.8% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 80 | 16.3% | 45.7% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 73 | 15.7% | 42.5% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 70 | 16.9% | 37.9% |
| Arenac County, MI | 58 | 11.7% | 39.7% |
| Bay County, MI | 47 | 11.8% | 31.0% |
| Midland County, MI | 27 | 9.5% | 20.9% |
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 Gladwin County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Gladwin County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 11th 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, Gladwin County ranks 15th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gladwin 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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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
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 Gladwin 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 Gladwin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.