About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Montcalm County, Michigan, have a job
In Montcalm County, 17.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 70% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montcalm County's score
In Montcalm County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 42.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 95.4 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 66% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montcalm 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.
Montcalm 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.
- 57.2 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,100 · 202452nd percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 42.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.3% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.4 · 202533rd 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 Montcalm 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 Montcalm County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montcalm County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Montcalm County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Montcalm County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montcalm County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 13.9% in 2019 to 12.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Montcalm County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montcalm County, Michigan.
How Montcalm County has changed
Montcalm County's population had its largest rise, from 56,683 in 1994 to 60,830 in 1999.
Montcalm County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 69,314, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 63,496. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montcalm County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Montcalm County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 19,222 in 2005 to 14,551 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Montcalm County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 19,588 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montcalm County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.4% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,158 | 2024 $66,100 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Montcalm County's history
1738
1738 (created) 1850 (organized). Wikipedia
1850
Montcalm County was set off in 1831 and organized in 1850. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in April 2011 did $1 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 66,614, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montcalm County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montcalm County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Montcalm County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montcalm County ranks 4th of the seven; Gratiot County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella County, MI | 69 | 19.0% | 30.4% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 67 | 19.3% | 31.2% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 49 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 46 | 14.6% | 32.2% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 46 | 11.7% | 29.2% |
| Ionia County, MI | 31 | 10.5% | 25.2% |
| Kent County, MI | 29 | 9.2% | 14.8% |
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 Montcalm County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Montcalm County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 31st 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, Montcalm County ranks 37th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montcalm 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 Montcalm 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 Montcalm County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.