About one in 10 people in Lenawee County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Lenawee County, 9.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lenawee County's score
In Lenawee County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 63.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 25.6. About one in nine children (10.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lenawee 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, Lenawee County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.5% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people178.4 · 202569th percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 41.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.9% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,849 · 202436th 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 Lenawee 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 Lenawee County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lenawee County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lenawee County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lenawee County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lenawee County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (8.5% in 2009) to 10.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Lenawee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Lenawee County, Michigan.
How Lenawee County has changed
Lenawee County's population had its largest rise, from 81,134 in 1969 to 87,335 in 1974.
Lenawee County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 97,746
High on the chart: 101,216 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lenawee County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Lenawee County had its largest drop, from 31,280 in 2005 to 26,330 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Lenawee County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 33,987 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lenawee County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,788 | 2024 $71,849 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Lenawee County's history
1812
War of 1812 and indigenous confederacy resistance. Wikipedia
1822
1822 (created) September 10, 1826 (organized). Wikipedia
1830
Indian Removal Act and forced relocation of tribes. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Hail in April 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in August 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 99,892. The 2020 Census counted 99,423, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lenawee County. FEMA
Lenawee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lenawee County, in Michigan and Ohio, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lenawee County ranks 3rd of the seven; Hillsdale County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County, OH | 79 | 16.8% | 25.5% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 53 | 12.8% | 30.3% |
| Monroe County, MI | 47 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 46 | 9.6% | 27.7% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 31 | 13.9% | 13.1% |
| Fulton County, OH | 20 | 8.3% | 23.5% |
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 Lenawee County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Lenawee County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 68th 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, Lenawee County ranks 43rd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lenawee 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 Services of South Central 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 Lenawee 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 Lenawee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.