In Roscommon County, Michigan, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2007
In 2024, 46 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 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roscommon County's score
In Roscommon County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.3. Unemployment averaged 7.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 80.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Roscommon 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.
Roscommon County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.3%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202698th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.3% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 80.8 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.9% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability24.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,727 · 202490th percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people247.2 · 202584th percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th 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 Roscommon 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 Roscommon County, 34.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Roscommon County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Roscommon County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 34.5% in 2004 to 46.3% in 2009.
In Roscommon County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Michigan
In Roscommon County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Roscommon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.9% in 2017 to 16.3% in 2018.
The share of households in Roscommon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 16.8%
Low on the chart: 14.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Roscommon County, Michigan.
How Roscommon County has changed
Roscommon County's population had its largest rise, from 8,747 in 1969 to 13,431 in 1974.
Roscommon County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,932
High on the chart: 25,771 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Roscommon County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Roscommon County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,103, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,465 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Roscommon County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 8.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,276 | 2024 $50,727 |
The table uses 8.9% for 2025; the score uses 7.6% 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 Roscommon County's history
1840
1840 (created) 1875 (organized). Wikipedia
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 did $50 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 25,469. The 2020 Census counted 23,459, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Roscommon County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Roscommon County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Roscommon County, one scores higher. Of the group, Roscommon County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (45.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 90 | 19.3% | 41.8% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 80 | 16.3% | 45.7% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 73 | 15.7% | 42.5% |
| Crawford County, MI | 70 | 14.4% | 38.7% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 70 | 16.9% | 37.9% |
| 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 Roscommon County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Roscommon County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 17th 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, Roscommon County ranks 6th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roscommon 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 Roscommon 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 Roscommon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.