Gogebic County, Michigan

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.1 | 14,224 people · 17th most distressed in Michigan
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Gogebic County, MI registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.1 — 984th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Michigan, it ranks 17th of 83 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Gogebic County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 82.9 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 82.9
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 92
Child Poverty Rate 83
Employment & Wages 71.0
Unemployment Rate 87
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 43
Business Formation Rate 84
Community Vulnerability 50.3
Uninsured Rate 30
Disability Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 44.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 57
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 53
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 16
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76
Debt & Delinquency 42.0
Debt in Collections 44
Medical Debt 80
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 42
Credit Card Delinquency 26
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 28

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Gogebic County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Gogebic County
Gogebic County, MI 58.1 Elevated —
Iron County, MI 61.5 Elevated +3.4
Ontonagon County, MI 53.6 Elevated -4.5
Iron County, WI 50.6 Elevated -7.4
Ashland County, WI 49.5 Normal -8.5
Vilas County, WI 35.8 Normal -22.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Gogebic County
Henderson County, TN 58.1 Elevated -0.0
Caswell County, NC 58.1 Elevated +0.0
Union County, OR 58.1 Elevated +0.0
Garvin County, OK 58.1 Elevated -0.0
Choctaw County, AL 58.1 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Gogebic County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Gogebic County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-968-0738

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Gogebic County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid & Defender Association of Detroit 313-967-5555
Michigan Legal Help / Wolverine Legal Aid
Neighborhood Legal Services of Michigan 248-548-3838
Michigan Advocacy Program 616-774-0672
Legal Services of South Central Michigan 734-665-6181
Lakeshore Legal Aid (888) 783-8190
Legal Aid of Western Michigan (616) 774-0672
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (800) 322-4512
Legal Services of Northern Michigan, Inc. (906) 786-2303

Self-Help Resources

Michigan Legal Help — Foreclosure Self-help guides and interactive tools for Michigan foreclosure process and defenses
MSHDA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and MIHAF information

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Gogebic County, Michigan?

    Gogebic County has a County Distress Index score of 58.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 984th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 17th in Michigan out of 83 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Gogebic County?

    The primary driver of distress in Gogebic County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 82.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Gogebic County compare to neighboring counties?

    Gogebic County (58.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Iron County, MI (61.5); Ontonagon County, MI (53.6); Iron County, WI (50.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Gogebic County?

    Gogebic County, Michigan has a population of approximately 14,224 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.