About one in 19 people in Livingston County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Livingston County, 5.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Livingston County's score
In Livingston County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 34.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Livingston 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.
Livingston County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 34.3 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 26.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.1% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.4 · 202545th percentile
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- 6.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.7% · second quarter of 20262nd percentile
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- 4.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.4% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance2.7% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$101,995 · 20244th 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 Livingston 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 Livingston County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Livingston County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Livingston County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 15.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Livingston County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Livingston County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.1% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Livingston 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: 4.2% 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, Livingston County, Michigan.
How Livingston County has changed
Livingston County's population had its largest rise, from 129,655 in 1994 to 153,033 in 1999.
Livingston County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 196,976, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 196,976. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Livingston County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Livingston County more than doubled to 64,689, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 56,100. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Livingston County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.0% | 2024 5.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $43,576 | 2024 $101,995 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Livingston County's history
1833
1833 (authorized) 1836 (organized). Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A thunderstorm in August 1988 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in May 2001 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in August 2007 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 193,866, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Livingston County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Livingston County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Livingston County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Livingston County ranks 5th of the seven; Genesee County is highest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesee County, MI | 88 | 18.0% | 30.0% |
| Ingham County, MI | 66 | 18.1% | 22.8% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 52 | 12.4% | 28.8% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 31 | 13.9% | 13.1% |
| Oakland County, MI | 23 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
| Livingston County, MI | 6 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
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 Livingston County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Livingston County's poverty rate was 5.4% in 2024, the lowest 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, Livingston County ranks 82nd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Livingston 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 Livingston 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 Livingston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.