In Oscoda County, Michigan, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 44 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 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oscoda County's score
In Oscoda County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.3. Unemployment averaged 10.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oscoda 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.
Oscoda County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a subprime credit score (36.1%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year10.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 84.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.4% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability22.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance13.0% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,462 · 202487th percentile
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- 67.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198.9 · 202574th percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 47.5 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 rent13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd 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 Oscoda 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 Oscoda County, 29.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oscoda County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Oscoda County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 33.1% in 2004 to 44.8% in 2009.
In Oscoda County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Michigan
In Oscoda County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oscoda County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.1% in 2009 to 17.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Oscoda County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.3% 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, Oscoda County, Michigan.
How Oscoda County has changed
Oscoda County's population rose most sharply from its first year (4,323 in 1969) to 5,727 in 1974.
Oscoda County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 9,416 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oscoda County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Oscoda County had its largest rise, from 1,549 in 1990 to 2,179 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Oscoda County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 37% since
High on the chart: 2,179 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oscoda County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 11.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.3% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,955 | 2024 $52,462 |
The table uses 11.0% for 2025; the score uses 10.0% 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 Oscoda County's history
1840
April 1, 1840 (created) 1881 (organized). Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in July 1999 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 9,418. The 2020 Census counted 8,219, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
A tornado in October 2007 did $1.35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Lightning in July 2011 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oscoda County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oscoda County beside its neighbors
Oscoda County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oscoda County ranks 2nd of the six; Montmorency County is highest, at 51.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscoda County, MI | 83 | 16.5% | 44.0% |
| Montmorency County, MI | 76 | 15.3% | 51.5% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 73 | 15.7% | 42.5% |
| Crawford County, MI | 70 | 14.4% | 38.7% |
| Alpena County, MI | 45 | 16.7% | 38.1% |
| Alcona County, MI | 44 | 15.1% | 42.0% |
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 Oscoda County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Oscoda County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 16th 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, Oscoda County ranks 4th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oscoda 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 Oscoda 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 Oscoda County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.