In Washtenaw County, Michigan, benefit checks make up only 13 cents of every dollar of income
In Washtenaw County, 13.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washtenaw County's score
In Washtenaw County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 16.4. About one in four people (27.4%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washtenaw 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.
Even so, Washtenaw County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (29.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (23.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.0 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 rent29.9% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.7% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.3 · 202556th percentile
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- 19.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance3.3% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,907 · 202410th percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.4% · second quarter of 20267th 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 Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washtenaw County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washtenaw County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 13.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Washtenaw County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washtenaw County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (6.6% in 2009) to 8.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Washtenaw 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: 6.6% 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, Washtenaw County, Michigan.
How Washtenaw County has changed
Washtenaw County's population nearly doubled to 373,875, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 256,447. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washtenaw County, Michigan.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washtenaw County rose by about a quarter to 219,230, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 195,688. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washtenaw County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,298 | 2024 $90,907 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Washtenaw County's history
1822
1822( 1822 ) (created) 1826 (organized). Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in June 1953 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in May 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning in September 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 372,258, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washtenaw County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washtenaw County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washtenaw County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washtenaw County ranks 6th of the seven; Jackson County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MI | 98 | 22.1% | 27.6% |
| Jackson County, MI | 64 | 11.3% | 27.9% |
| Monroe County, MI | 47 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 46 | 9.6% | 27.7% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 31 | 13.9% | 13.1% |
| Oakland County, MI | 23 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
| 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 Washtenaw County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Washtenaw County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 34th 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, Washtenaw County ranks 65th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.