Unemployment in St. Clair County, Michigan, is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties
In St. Clair County, 5.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Clair County's score
In St. Clair County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.9. About one in four renters (23.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 81% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 65.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Clair 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.
St. Clair County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (10.9%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.9 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.9% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people186.4 · 202571st percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,545 · 202436th 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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
St. Clair County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Clair County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Clair County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.0% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, St. Clair County, Michigan.
How St. Clair County has changed
St. Clair County's population had its largest rise, from 118,233 in 1969 to 130,581 in 1974.
St. Clair County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 160,308
High on the chart: 168,457 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Clair County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County had its largest drop, from 49,408 in 2005 to 42,491 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 51,334 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Clair County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,795 | 2024 $71,545 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 St. Clair County's history
1820
March 28, 1820 (created) 1821 (organized). Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 164,235. The 2020 Census counted 160,383, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in June 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in November 2019 did $11.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Clair County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Clair County beside its neighbors
St. Clair County scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Clair County ranks 2nd of the four; Sanilac County is highest, at 34.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb County, MI | 59 | 10.8% | 21.0% |
| St. Clair County, MI | 59 | 10.9% | 26.5% |
| Sanilac County, MI | 55 | 16.6% | 34.6% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 51 | 9.0% | 24.6% |
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 St. Clair County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, St. Clair County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 62nd 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, St. Clair County ranks 22nd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Clair 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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Blue Water Community Action Agency
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.