About one in 12 people in Otsego County, Michigan, lives below the poverty line
In Otsego County, 8.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Otsego County's score
In Otsego County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 58.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 31.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Otsego 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, Otsego County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.7 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 55.2 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 behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.2% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 52.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.9 · 202538th percentile
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- 31.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,981 · 202440th 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Otsego County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Otsego County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Otsego County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Otsego County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2009 to 15.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Otsego County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2021 to 2022, reaching 12.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Otsego County, Michigan.
How Otsego County has changed
Otsego County's population more than doubled to 26,083, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 22,932. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Otsego County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Otsego County had its largest drop, from 11,674 in 2005 to 9,648 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Otsego County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 11,674 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Otsego County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,414 | 2024 $69,981 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Otsego County's history
1840
1840 (created) 1875 (organized). Wikipedia
1913
Gaylord Motor Car Company bankruptcy. Wikipedia
1931
Dayton Last Block Works closed. Wikipedia
2018
A thunderstorm in August 2018 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 25,091, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A tornado in May 2022 did $50 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Otsego County. FEMA
Otsego County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Otsego County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Otsego County ranks 5th of the six; Montmorency County is highest, at 51.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montmorency County, MI | 76 | 15.3% | 51.5% |
| Crawford County, MI | 70 | 14.4% | 38.7% |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 48 | 12.5% | 32.6% |
| Otsego County, MI | 45 | 8.5% | 28.2% |
| Antrim County, MI | 22 | 10.7% | 29.4% |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 17 | 9.9% | 22.2% |
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 Otsego County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Otsego County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 75th 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, Otsego County ranks 47th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Otsego 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.