About one in six people with a credit file in Mason County, Michigan, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Mason County, 16.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mason County's score
In Mason County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 28.1. People with a credit card behind: 3.7%, August 2025, lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mason 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, Mason County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 48.1 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,623 · 202456th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96 · 202534th percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202636th 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 Mason 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 Mason County, 26.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mason County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mason County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Mason County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.6% in 2010 to 15.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.9%
Low on the chart: 11.1% 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, Mason County, Michigan.
How Mason County has changed
Mason County's population rose by about a third to 29,093, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 24,592. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mason County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Mason County rose most sharply from its first year (7,909 in 1990) to 9,830 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mason County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 11,070 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mason County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,770 | 2024 $64,623 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Mason County's history
1840
1840 (founded as Notipekago) 1855 (organized). Wikipedia
1855
The county was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Notipekago County, then renamed Mason County in 1843, and administered by Ottawa County prior to the organization of county government in 1855. Wikipedia
1972
A tornado in April 1972 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $3 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 29,052, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mason County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mason County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Mason County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mason County ranks 3rd of the four; Lake County is highest, at 46.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MI | 76 | 24.2% | 46.4% |
| Manistee County, MI | 51 | 13.7% | 37.6% |
| Oceana County, MI | 43 | 14.5% | 32.0% |
| 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 Mason County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Mason County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 54th 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, Mason County ranks 58th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mason 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 Mason County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.