About one in 10 people in Ottawa County, Michigan, has a disability
In Ottawa County, 10.1% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ottawa County's score
In Ottawa County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 8.1. About one in 30 people (3.3%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ottawa 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, Ottawa County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.9 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
-
- 30.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.8% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
-
- 17.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.1 · 202524th percentile
-
- 16.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.5% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
-
- 8.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.5% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability10.1% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance3.3% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,708 · 202411th percentile
-
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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ottawa County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ottawa County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Ottawa County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ottawa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.3% in 2009 to 7.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Ottawa County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.0%
Low on the chart: 5.6% 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, Ottawa County, Michigan.
How Ottawa County has changed
Ottawa County's population had its largest rise, from 206,800 in 1994 to 234,916 in 1999.
Ottawa County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 306,235, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 262,879. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ottawa County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ottawa County nearly doubled to 129,408, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 102,408. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ottawa County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.9% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,149 | 2024 $89,708 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Ottawa County's history
1831
1831 (authorized) 1837 (organized). Wikipedia
1847
Dutch settlers arrived led by Albertus van Raalte. Wikipedia
1956
A tornado in April 1956 killed 14 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $34.63 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in June 2009 did $34 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 296,200, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ottawa County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ottawa County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Ottawa County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ottawa County ranks 3rd of the four; Muskegon County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon County, MI | 74 | 16.8% | 29.7% |
| Kent County, MI | 29 | 9.2% | 14.8% |
| Allegan County, MI | 16 | 8.2% | 19.7% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 13 | 8.8% | 15.8% |
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 Ottawa County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Ottawa County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 74th 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, Ottawa County ranks 80th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ottawa 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.
-
Community Action House
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Telamon Corporation - Paw Paw Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Aid of Western Michigan
Legal aid
-
Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
Legal aid
-
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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.