Unemployment in Sanilac County, Michigan, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Sanilac County, 6.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sanilac County's score
In Sanilac County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sanilac 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.
Sanilac County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.7%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.6% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 65.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.6% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.5% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,383 · 202474th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.7% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.8 · 202551st percentile
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- 42.3 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202638th 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 Sanilac 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 Sanilac County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sanilac County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sanilac County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 34.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Sanilac County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 34.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sanilac County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.5% in 2019 to 13.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Sanilac County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.7% 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, Sanilac County, Michigan.
How Sanilac County has changed
Sanilac County's population rose most sharply from its first year (34,284 in 1969) to 38,688 in 1974.
Sanilac County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 44,939 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sanilac County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Sanilac County had its largest drop, from 11,824 in 2005 to 9,731 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Sanilac County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 12,127 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sanilac County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 6.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 16.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,313 | 2024 $58,383 |
The table uses 6.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Sanilac County's history
1822
September 10, 1822 (created) December 31, 1849 (organized). Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in September 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A thunderstorm in August 1988 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 44,547. The 2020 Census counted 40,611, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A flash flood in August 2006 did $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in November 2019 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sanilac County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sanilac County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Sanilac County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sanilac County ranks 2nd of the five; Tuscola County is highest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County, MI | 59 | 10.9% | 26.5% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 56 | 11.3% | 34.8% |
| Sanilac County, MI | 55 | 16.6% | 34.6% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 51 | 9.0% | 24.6% |
| Huron County, MI | 34 | 14.2% | 31.3% |
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 Sanilac County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Sanilac County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 15th 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, Sanilac County ranks 28th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sanilac 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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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
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 Sanilac 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 Sanilac County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.