In Lake County, Michigan, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2007
In 2024, 46 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.6. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 26.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lake 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.
Lake County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.0%, August 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (94.2, 2025).
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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.4% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.2% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line36.1% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability24.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,557 · 202493rd percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.9% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.2 · 202532nd 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 Lake 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 Lake County, 27.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lake County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Michigan
In Lake County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 28.1% in 2014 to 24.9% in 2015.
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 17.7% 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, Lake County, Michigan.
How Lake County has changed
Lake County's population more than doubled to 13,005, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 6,841. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lake County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Lake County had its largest rise, from 1,416 in 1995 to 1,737 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lake County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2020, reaching 1,755, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 1,755 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lake County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.9% | 2025 7.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.7% | 2024 24.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,179 | 2024 $48,557 |
The table uses 7.6% for 2025; the score uses 6.6% 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 Lake County's history
1840
1840, organized 1871. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $1.11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,096, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lake County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lake County, one scores higher. Of the group, Lake County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (46.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, MI | 77 | 15.6% | 31.6% |
| Lake County, MI | 76 | 24.2% | 46.4% |
| Wexford County, MI | 72 | 14.6% | 33.4% |
| Manistee County, MI | 51 | 13.7% | 37.6% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 46 | 11.7% | 29.2% |
| Mason County, MI | 39 | 11.7% | 34.8% |
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 Lake County the poorest county in Michigan?
Yes, Lake County's poverty rate was 24.2% in 2024, the highest of 83 counties in Michigan (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Lake County ranks 9th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake 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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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.
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 Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.