Unemployment in Mecosta County, Michigan, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Mecosta County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mecosta County's score
In Mecosta County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.6. Housing costs come next, at 66.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mecosta 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.
Mecosta County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (97.3, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 66.4 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 rent24.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,074 · 202464th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 38.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.3 · 202534th 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 Mecosta 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 Mecosta County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mecosta County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mecosta County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Mecosta County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mecosta County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.2% in 2014 to 17.1% in 2015.
The share of households in Mecosta County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mecosta County, Michigan.
How Mecosta County has changed
Mecosta County's population had its largest rise, from 26,240 in 1969 to 33,861 in 1974.
Mecosta County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41,947
High on the chart: 42,621 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mecosta County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Mecosta County rose most sharply from its first year (8,851 in 1990) to 10,780 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mecosta County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 13,520 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mecosta County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,754 | 2024 $62,074 |
The table uses 6.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Mecosta County's history
1840
April 1, 1840; organized February 11, 1859. Wikipedia
1852
On July 20, 1852, the first family to reside in the county, William and Margaret Brockway and their two children, moved into a logging shanty on Mitchell Creek. Wikipedia
1853
Alice Victoria Brockway was born on February 12, 1853 to William and Margaret Brockway; she was the first white child born in the county. Wikipedia
1859
On February 11, 1859, the State Legislature authorized the organization of Mecosta County with the village of Leonard as the county seat. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 42,798. The 2020 Census counted 39,714, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flood in January 2013 did $4.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flood in May 2022 did $2,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mecosta County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mecosta County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Mecosta County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mecosta County ranks 2nd of the five; Osceola County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, MI | 77 | 15.6% | 31.6% |
| Isabella County, MI | 69 | 19.0% | 30.4% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 67 | 19.3% | 31.2% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 49 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 46 | 11.7% | 29.2% |
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 Mecosta County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Mecosta County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 4th 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, Mecosta County ranks 17th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mecosta 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.
Download the CSV for Mecosta 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 Mecosta County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.