Unemployment in Hillsdale County, Michigan, is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties
In Hillsdale County, 4.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hillsdale County's score
In Hillsdale County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 52.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hillsdale 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.
Hillsdale County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.6%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.5% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142.6 · 202557th percentile
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- 48.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.3% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,118 · 202452nd percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.2% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 40.0 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 rent18.6% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hillsdale County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hillsdale County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hillsdale County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hillsdale County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2010 to 13.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Hillsdale County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.2% 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, Hillsdale County, Michigan.
How Hillsdale County has changed
Hillsdale County's population had its largest rise, from 36,194 in 1969 to 40,078 in 1974.
Hillsdale County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45,590
High on the chart: 47,392 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hillsdale County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Hillsdale County had its largest rise, from 12,253 in 1990 to 14,803 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hillsdale County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 16,258 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hillsdale County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,990 | 2024 $66,118 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Hillsdale County's history
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 46,688. The 2020 Census counted 45,746, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hillsdale County. FEMA
Hillsdale County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Hillsdale County, in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, three score higher. Of the group, Hillsdale County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Branch County, MI | 56 | 13.2% | 29.7% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 53 | 12.8% | 30.3% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 46 | 9.6% | 27.7% |
| Williams County, OH | 43 | 10.3% | 27.1% |
| Steuben County, IN | 28 | 9.4% | 24.1% |
| Fulton County, OH | 20 | 8.3% | 23.5% |
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 Hillsdale County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Hillsdale County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 43rd 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, Hillsdale County ranks 32nd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hillsdale 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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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.
Download the CSV for Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.