Iron County, Michigan

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.5 | 11,740 people · 10th most distressed in Michigan
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Iron County, MI registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.5 — 718th 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 10th of 83 counties. It scores higher than all 9 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Iron County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 82.6 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 82.6
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 89
Child Poverty Rate 81
Employment & Wages 80.9
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 74
Business Formation Rate 74
Community Vulnerability 51.3
Uninsured Rate 14
Disability Rate 88
Housing Cost Burden 50.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 66
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 47
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 50
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Debt & Delinquency 41.8
Debt in Collections 50
Medical Debt 83
Student Loan Delinquency 46
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 12
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 54

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Iron County compares to its 9 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Iron County
Iron County, MI 61.5 Elevated —
Gogebic County, MI 58.1 Elevated -3.4
Ontonagon County, MI 53.6 Elevated -7.8
Forest County, WI 50.8 Elevated -10.7
Baraga County, MI 46.7 Normal -14.8
Houghton County, MI 45.3 Normal -16.1
Marquette County, MI 44.8 Normal -16.6
Dickinson County, MI 43.3 Normal -18.2
Florence County, WI 38.9 Normal -22.6
Vilas County, WI 35.8 Normal -25.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Iron County
Neshoba County, MS 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Sanders County, MT 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Sharp County, AR 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Live Oak County, TX 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Rolette County, ND 61.4 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Iron 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 Iron 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Michigan →

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Iron County has a County Distress Index score of 61.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 718th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Michigan out of 83 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Iron County?

    The primary driver of distress in Iron County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 82.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Iron County compare to neighboring counties?

    Iron County (61.5) can be compared to its 9 neighboring counties: Gogebic County, MI (58.1); Ontonagon County, MI (53.6); Forest County, WI (50.8).

  • 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 Iron County?

    Iron County, Michigan has a population of approximately 11,740 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.