Unemployment in Osceola County, Michigan, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Osceola 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 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Osceola County's score
In Osceola County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Osceola 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.
Osceola County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (107.2, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (38.5%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 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 working27.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 70.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,928 · 202482nd percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.5% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 61.9 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 rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.5% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.2 · 202539th 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 Osceola 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 Osceola County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Osceola County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Osceola County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Osceola County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.7% in 2016 to 17.6% in 2017.
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 15.1%
Low on the chart: 13.2% 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, Osceola County, Michigan.
How Osceola County has changed
Osceola County's population had its largest rise, from 19,993 in 1989 to 21,782 in 1994.
Osceola County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,484
High on the chart: 23,990 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Osceola County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Osceola County rose by about half to 7,692, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 6,948. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Osceola County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.3% | 2025 7.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,850 | 2024 $54,928 |
The table uses 7.1% 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 Osceola County's history
1840
April 1, 1840 (created) 1869 (organized). Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 23,528. The 2020 Census counted 22,891, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in April 2014 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Osceola County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Osceola County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Osceola County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Osceola County ranks 4th of the six; Lake County is highest, at 46.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 90 | 19.3% | 41.8% |
| Osceola County, MI | 77 | 15.6% | 31.6% |
| Lake County, MI | 76 | 24.2% | 46.4% |
| Wexford County, MI | 72 | 14.6% | 33.4% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 67 | 19.3% | 31.2% |
| Missaukee County, MI | 48 | 12.1% | 31.2% |
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 Osceola County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Osceola County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 19th 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, Osceola County ranks 7th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Osceola 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 Osceola 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 Osceola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.