About one in 10 people in Monroe County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Monroe County, 9.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 68.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 21.9. About one in 29 people (3.4%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Monroe 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, Monroe County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.9% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 58.3 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 rent21.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 54.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.8% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people185.1 · 202571st percentile
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- 38.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.3% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.6% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,490 · 202426th 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 22.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 22.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.9% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.6% 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, Monroe County, Michigan.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population rose by about a third to 156,045, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 134,285. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County had its largest drop, from 42,656 in 2005 to 36,274 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 40,577
High on the chart: 43,551 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,274 | 2024 $76,490 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Monroe County's history
1813
Battle of Frenchtown (River Raisin Massacre) January 22, 1813. Wikipedia
1817
Monroe County was formed from the southern portion of Wayne County in 1817, when the Michigan Territory consisted of only Wayne County since Detroit was the only area which had a non-indigenous population over 1,000 people. Wikipedia
1820
Shortly after its formation, Monroe County's population was recorded at only 336 in the 1820 census. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in June 1953 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1957
Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station opened 1957. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in June 2010 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 154,809, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Monroe County, in Michigan and Ohio, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Monroe County ranks 4th of the five; Lenawee County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MI | 98 | 22.1% | 27.6% |
| Lucas County, OH | 79 | 16.8% | 25.5% |
| Monroe County, MI | 47 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 46 | 9.6% | 27.7% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 31 | 13.9% | 13.1% |
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 Monroe County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 67th 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, Monroe County ranks 41st of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe 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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Monroe County Opportunity Program
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Monroe 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 Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.