Unemployment in Lapeer County, Michigan, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Lapeer County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lapeer County's score
In Lapeer County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.1. About three in ten renters (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lapeer 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.
Lapeer County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.0%, 2024) and people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.1 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 rent27.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.2% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people189.9 · 202572nd percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,002 · 202423rd 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 Lapeer 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 Lapeer County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lapeer County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lapeer County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lapeer County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lapeer County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.1% in 2009 to 11.5% in 2011, 1.7 points each year.
The share of households in Lapeer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 11.4%
Low on the chart: 8.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lapeer County, Michigan.
How Lapeer County has changed
Lapeer County's population had its largest rise, from 59,964 in 1974 to 69,018 in 1979.
Lapeer County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 89,168
High on the chart: 91,125 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lapeer County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lapeer County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 22,487 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lapeer County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,493 | 2024 $78,002 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Lapeer County's history
1822
September 18, 1822 (created) February 2, 1835 (organized). Wikipedia
1870
Lumber industry transition to agriculture. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in June 1953 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $5.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in August 2009 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 88,619, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in August 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lapeer County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lapeer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lapeer County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lapeer County ranks 5th of the seven; Tuscola County is highest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesee County, MI | 88 | 18.0% | 30.0% |
| Macomb County, MI | 59 | 10.8% | 21.0% |
| St. Clair County, MI | 59 | 10.9% | 26.5% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 56 | 11.3% | 34.8% |
| Sanilac County, MI | 55 | 16.6% | 34.6% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 51 | 9.0% | 24.6% |
| Oakland County, MI | 23 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
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 Lapeer County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Lapeer County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 72nd 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, Lapeer County ranks 36th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lapeer 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 Lapeer 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 Lapeer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.