Unemployment in Tuscola County, Michigan, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Tuscola County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tuscola County's score
In Tuscola County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.6. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 62.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tuscola 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.
Tuscola County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.6% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people240.4 · 202583rd percentile
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- 50.0 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 rent20.4% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
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- 45.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,492 · 202462nd percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th 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 Tuscola 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 Tuscola County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tuscola County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tuscola County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Tuscola County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tuscola County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.1% in 2010 to 15.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Tuscola County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
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, Tuscola County, Michigan.
How Tuscola County has changed
Tuscola County's population rose most sharply from its first year (49,163 in 1969) to 52,916 in 1974.
Tuscola County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 58,290 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tuscola County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Tuscola County had its largest rise, from 11,437 in 1990 to 13,697 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Tuscola County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 13,703 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tuscola County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.6% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,023 | 2024 $62,492 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Tuscola County's history
1840
April 1, 1840 organized March 2, 1850. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 58,266. The 2020 Census counted 53,323, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in May 2019 did $4.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tuscola County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tuscola County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Tuscola County, two score higher. Of the group, Tuscola County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (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% |
| Sanilac County, MI | 55 | 16.6% | 34.6% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 51 | 9.0% | 24.6% |
| Bay County, MI | 47 | 11.8% | 31.0% |
| 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 Tuscola County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Tuscola County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 58th 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, Tuscola County ranks 26th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tuscola 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 Tuscola 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 Tuscola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.