Unemployment in Saginaw County, Michigan, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Saginaw 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 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Saginaw County's score
In Saginaw County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.0. About three in ten renters (28.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 79.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Saginaw 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.
Saginaw County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.0 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 rent28.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.2% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
-
- 79.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment 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 working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
-
- 76.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people360.5 · 202594th percentile
-
- 59.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,572 · 202465th percentile
-
- 53.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.2% · second quarter of 202653rd 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 Saginaw 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 Saginaw County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Saginaw County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Saginaw County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Saginaw County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Saginaw County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.6% in 2011 to 19.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Saginaw County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a quarter from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.6%
High on the chart: 20.7% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Saginaw County, Michigan.
How Saginaw County has changed
Saginaw County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 226,732 in 1979 to 216,710 in 1984.
Saginaw County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 226,732 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Saginaw County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Saginaw County had its largest drop, from 89,182 in 2005 to 79,148 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Saginaw County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 95,605 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Saginaw County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,695 | 2024 $61,572 |
The table uses 6.5% 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 Saginaw County's history
1835
Created by September 10, 1822, and fully organized on February 9, 1835. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 228,059. The 2020 Census counted 190,124, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in June 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
Chevrolet Saginaw Parts closed 1983. Wikipedia
1984
General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Plant 1 closed 1984. Wikipedia
1986
A tornado in April 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in June 1996 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
TRW Braking and Suspension closed February 2014. Wikipedia
2020
A flood in May 2020 did $9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Saginaw County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Saginaw County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Saginaw County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Saginaw County ranks 3rd of the seven; Tuscola County is highest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesee County, MI | 88 | 18.0% | 30.0% |
| Saginaw County, MI | 83 | 16.8% | 31.7% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 56 | 11.3% | 34.8% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 52 | 12.4% | 28.8% |
| Bay County, MI | 47 | 11.8% | 31.0% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 46 | 14.6% | 32.2% |
| Midland County, MI | 27 | 9.5% | 20.9% |
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 Saginaw County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Saginaw County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 12th 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, Saginaw County ranks 5th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Saginaw 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.
-
Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
Legal aid
-
Michigan Legal Help
Legal help website
-
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 Saginaw 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 Saginaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.