About one in eight people in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, has a disability
In Kalamazoo County, 11.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kalamazoo County's score
In Kalamazoo County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kalamazoo 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.
Even so, Kalamazoo County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.8 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.4% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people161.3 · 202563rd percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 41.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.7% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 23.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,071 · 202435th 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County, 16.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kalamazoo County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kalamazoo County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 14.2% in 2004 to 19.2% in 2009.
In Kalamazoo County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kalamazoo County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Kalamazoo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.2%
Low on the chart: 10.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
How Kalamazoo County has changed
Kalamazoo County's population had its largest rise, from 212,995 in 1984 to 222,646 in 1989.
Kalamazoo County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 264,780, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 212,995. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kalamazoo County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 122,119 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,543 | 2024 $72,071 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Kalamazoo County's history
1980
A tornado in May 1980 did $25 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in September 2008 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Checker Motors Company closure. Wikipedia
2010
Hail in April 2010 did $125 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 261,670, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kalamazoo County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kalamazoo County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Kalamazoo County, three score higher. Of the group, Kalamazoo County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Calhoun County gets the largest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, MI | 75 | 14.5% | 30.1% |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 52 | 12.3% | 26.4% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 49 | 13.6% | 27.7% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 42 | 11.6% | 18.9% |
| Barry County, MI | 26 | 9.0% | 19.6% |
| Allegan County, MI | 16 | 8.2% | 19.7% |
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 Kalamazoo County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Kalamazoo County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 57th 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, Kalamazoo County ranks 53rd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kalamazoo 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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Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of Western 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.