In Ogemaw County, Michigan, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 43 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ogemaw County's score
In Ogemaw County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.6. Unemployment averaged 7.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 77.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ogemaw 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.
Ogemaw County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (4.2%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (6.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202698th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 77.7 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.0% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,057 · 202482nd percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.6 · 202551st percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.8% · second quarter of 202644th 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 Ogemaw 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 Ogemaw County, 27.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ogemaw County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ogemaw County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Michigan
In Ogemaw County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ogemaw County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.1% in 2011 to 23.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Ogemaw County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 16.5% 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, Ogemaw County, Michigan.
How Ogemaw County has changed
Ogemaw County's population had its largest rise, from 10,557 in 1969 to 14,059 in 1974.
Ogemaw County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20,985
High on the chart: 22,053 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ogemaw County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Ogemaw County rose most sharply from its first year (4,145 in 1990) to 5,406 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Ogemaw County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 6,739 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ogemaw County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 8.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.1% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,030 | 2024 $55,057 |
The table uses 8.9% for 2025; the score uses 7.9% 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 Ogemaw County's history
1840
1840 (authorized) 1875 (organized). Wikipedia
1976
A tornado in March 1976 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 21,699. The 2020 Census counted 20,770, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
Hail in August 2015 did $32.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in May 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ogemaw County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ogemaw County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Ogemaw County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ogemaw County ranks 4th of the six; Roscommon County is highest, at 45.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscoda County, MI | 83 | 16.5% | 44.0% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 80 | 16.3% | 45.7% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 73 | 15.7% | 42.5% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 70 | 16.9% | 37.9% |
| Iosco County, MI | 59 | 14.4% | 42.8% |
| Arenac County, MI | 58 | 11.7% | 39.7% |
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 Ogemaw County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Ogemaw County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Ogemaw County ranks 12th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ogemaw 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 Northern Michigan
Legal aid
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Michigan Legal Help
Legal help website
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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 Ogemaw 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 Ogemaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.