Unemployment in Isabella County, Michigan, is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Isabella County, 5.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Isabella County's score
In Isabella County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 78.6. About one in four renters (26.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 74.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Isabella 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.
Isabella County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.6 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 rent26.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 74.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,734 · 202479th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.7 · 202554th percentile
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- 43.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.3% · second quarter of 202643rd 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 Isabella 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 Isabella County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Isabella County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Isabella County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Isabella County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Isabella County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2009 to 16.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Isabella County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 9.9% 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, Isabella County, Michigan.
How Isabella County has changed
Isabella County's population had its largest rise, from 40,617 in 1969 to 51,095 in 1974.
Isabella County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 65,072
High on the chart: 70,026 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Isabella County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Isabella County had its largest rise, from 21,805 in 1995 to 26,217 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Isabella County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 29,232 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Isabella County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,611 | 2024 $56,734 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Isabella County's history
1831
1831 (created) 1859 (organized). Wikipedia
1855
Ojibwa relocation under Treaty of 1855 to Isabella Indian Reservation. Wikipedia
1893
Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School. Wikipedia
1928
Oil discovery and production. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 70,311. The 2020 Census counted 64,394, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in August 2010 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in June 2017 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Isabella County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Isabella County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Isabella County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Isabella County ranks 4th of the six; Clare County is highest, at 41.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 90 | 19.3% | 41.8% |
| Isabella County, MI | 69 | 19.0% | 30.4% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 67 | 19.3% | 31.2% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 49 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 46 | 14.6% | 32.2% |
| Midland County, MI | 27 | 9.5% | 20.9% |
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 Isabella County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Isabella County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 6th 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, Isabella County ranks 16th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Isabella 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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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
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 Isabella 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 Isabella County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.