Unemployment in St. Joseph County, Michigan, is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties
In St. Joseph County, 4.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Joseph County's score
In St. Joseph County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 54.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Joseph 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. Joseph County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.0% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 54.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,096 · 202454th percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.1% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.6 · 202535th percentile
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- 33.3 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 rent15.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th 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. Joseph 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. Joseph County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Joseph County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Joseph County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Joseph County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Joseph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2012 to 15.0% in 2013.
The share of households in St. Joseph County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.8%
High on the chart: 15.5% 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, St. Joseph County, Michigan.
How St. Joseph County has changed
St. Joseph County's population had its largest rise, from 46,449 in 1969 to 51,933 in 1974.
St. Joseph County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 61,171
High on the chart: 62,265 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Joseph County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in St. Joseph County rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 18,907 in 2010 to 23,048 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in St. Joseph County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 25,138 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Joseph County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,533 | 2024 $65,096 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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. Joseph County's history
1829
Set off and organized by the Michigan Territory legislature in 1829. Wikipedia
1989
A thunderstorm in August 1989 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in March 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 62,422. The 2020 Census counted 60,939, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Joseph County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Joseph County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border St. Joseph County, in Michigan and Indiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Joseph County ranks 2nd of the six; Branch County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart County, IN | 56 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Branch County, MI | 56 | 13.2% | 29.7% |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 52 | 12.3% | 26.4% |
| Cass County, MI | 46 | 12.7% | 24.2% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 42 | 11.6% | 18.9% |
| LaGrange County, IN | 17 | 8.4% | 14.8% |
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. Joseph County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, St. Joseph County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 47th 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. Joseph County ranks 33rd of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Joseph 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 Aid of Western 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 St. Joseph 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. Joseph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.