About one in six people in Ingham County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Ingham County, 18.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ingham County's score
In Ingham County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.6. About three in ten renters (27.9%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 56.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ingham 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.
Ingham County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.6 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 rent27.9% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 56.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 55.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people166.9 · 202565th percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.2% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.1% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.2% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,388 · 202451st 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 Ingham 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 Ingham County, 14.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ingham County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ingham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 22.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Ingham County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ingham County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2010 to 15.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Ingham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ingham County, Michigan.
How Ingham County has changed
Ingham County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 280,975. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ingham County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Ingham County had its largest rise in the last span, from 140,841 in 2020 to 155,298 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Ingham County fell 8% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 140,841 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ingham County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 18.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,986 | 2024 $66,388 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Ingham County's history
1829
October 29, 1829 (created) 1838 (organized). Wikipedia
2007
A tornado in October 2007 did $15 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 284,900, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A tornado in August 2023 did $75 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in August 2023 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in August 2023 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ingham County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ingham County beside its neighbors
Ingham County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ingham County ranks 4th of the six; Shiawassee County is highest, at 28.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingham County, MI | 66 | 18.1% | 22.8% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 52 | 12.4% | 28.8% |
| Eaton County, MI | 31 | 8.2% | 23.4% |
| Clinton County, MI | 11 | 8.4% | 16.9% |
| Livingston County, MI | 6 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
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 Ingham County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Ingham County's poverty rate was 18.1% in 2024, 7th 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, Ingham County ranks 18th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ingham 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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Capital Area Housing Partnership
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Michigan State University Extension Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Ingham 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 Ingham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.