About one in 12 people in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Grand Traverse County, 8.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grand Traverse County's score
In Grand Traverse County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grand Traverse 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.
Grand Traverse 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.
- 60.7 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 rent21.4% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 28.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.1% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112 · 202542nd percentile
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- 26.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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- 17.3 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 behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.6% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 13.9 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 line9.3% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,515 · 202417th 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 Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grand Traverse County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grand Traverse County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Grand Traverse County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grand Traverse County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.8% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Grand Traverse County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 8.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
How Grand Traverse County has changed
Grand Traverse County's population had its largest rise, from 46,096 in 1974 to 53,526 in 1979.
Grand Traverse County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 96,625, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 96,625. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Grand Traverse County rose by about half to 52,238, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 41,222. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,760 | 2024 $82,515 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Grand Traverse County's history
1840
1840 1851 (organized). Wikipedia
2000
Lightning in September 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in October 2012 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in August 2015 did $7.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in August 2015 did $5.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 95,238, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grand Traverse County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grand Traverse County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Grand Traverse County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grand Traverse County ranks 5th of the six; Wexford County is highest, at 33.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wexford County, MI | 72 | 14.6% | 33.4% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 53 | 11.1% | 32.5% |
| Benzie County, MI | 26 | 9.2% | 26.2% |
| Antrim County, MI | 22 | 10.7% | 29.4% |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 16 | 8.4% | 20.2% |
| Leelanau County, MI | 5 | 6.5% | 17.7% |
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 Grand Traverse County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Grand Traverse 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, Grand Traverse County ranks 79th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grand Traverse 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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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.
Download the CSV for Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.