Unemployment in Shiawassee County, Michigan, is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Shiawassee County, 5.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shiawassee County's score
In Shiawassee County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 63.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 241.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 63.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shiawassee 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.
Shiawassee County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people241.1 · 202583rd percentile
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- 63.0 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 working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 48.0 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 behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 45.3 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 rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 36.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,235 · 202437th 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 Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shiawassee County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shiawassee County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Shiawassee County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Shiawassee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.1% in 2009 to 13.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Shiawassee County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a quarter from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.0%
High on the chart: 15.8% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shiawassee County, Michigan.
How Shiawassee County has changed
Shiawassee County's population rose 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 73,034 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shiawassee County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Shiawassee County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 16,397 in 2015 to 14,204 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Shiawassee County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 18,736 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shiawassee County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,016 | 2024 $71,235 |
The table uses 5.5% 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 Shiawassee County's history
1822
September 10, 1822 (created) 1837 (organized). Wikipedia
1976
A tornado in April 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in April 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 71,687. The 2020 Census counted 68,094, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
Hail in July 2007 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in March 2019 did $9.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shiawassee County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shiawassee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Shiawassee County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shiawassee County ranks 4th of the seven; Gratiot County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesee County, MI | 88 | 18.0% | 30.0% |
| Saginaw County, MI | 83 | 16.8% | 31.7% |
| Ingham County, MI | 66 | 18.1% | 22.8% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 52 | 12.4% | 28.8% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 46 | 14.6% | 32.2% |
| Clinton County, MI | 11 | 8.4% | 16.9% |
| Livingston County, MI | 6 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
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 Shiawassee County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Shiawassee County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 46th 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, Shiawassee County ranks 34th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shiawassee 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 South Central Michigan
Legal aid
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Counsel & Advocacy Law Line (Lakeshore Legal Aid)
Legal aid
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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 Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.