Ionia County, Michigan

County Distress Index: Normal · 49.5 | 66,262 people · 44th most distressed in Michigan

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Ionia County, MI falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 49.5 — 1630th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Michigan, it ranks 44th of 83 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ionia County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 78.6 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 78.6
Unemployment Rate 69
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 79
Business Formation Rate 87
Housing Cost Burden 55.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 69
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 66
Homeownership Rate 34
Rent-to-Income Ratio 46
Debt & Delinquency 49.5
Debt in Collections 44
Medical Debt 37
Student Loan Delinquency 75
Auto Loan Delinquency 46
Credit Card Delinquency 61
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 34
Income & Poverty 34.3
Poverty Rate 48
Income vs. State Median 21
Child Poverty Rate 34
Community Vulnerability 30.1
Uninsured Rate 29
Disability Rate 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Ionia County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ionia County
Ionia County, MI 49.5 Normal
Montcalm County, MI 53.6 Elevated +4.1
Gratiot County, MI 50.4 Elevated +0.9
Eaton County, MI 40.8 Normal -8.7
Barry County, MI 38.6 Normal -10.9
Kent County, MI 37.7 Normal -11.8
Clinton County, MI 29.1 Healthy -20.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ionia County
Macon County, IL 49.5 Normal +0.0
Mason County, WA 49.5 Normal +0.0
Polk County, OR 49.4 Normal -0.1
Shiawassee County, MI 49.6 Normal +0.1
Yolo County, CA 49.6 Normal +0.1

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Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Ionia County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Michigan Legal Help — Foreclosure Self-help guides and interactive tools for Michigan foreclosure process and defenses
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