In Wayne County, Michigan, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Wayne County, 29.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.9. Jobs come next, at 89.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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.
Wayne County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (15.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.9 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 rent28.0% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.4% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 89.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 88.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.6% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people402.3 · 202596th percentile
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- 85.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.1% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.2% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,484 · 202472nd 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wayne County had its largest rise, from 20.1% in 2004 to 29.9% in 2009.
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.6% in 2011 to 22.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 23.0%
Low on the chart: 16.9% 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, Wayne County, Michigan.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population fell by about a third to 1,771,063, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 2,353,175. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County had its largest drop, from 787,654 in 2005 to 657,150 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County fell 18% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 657,150 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 22.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,554 | 2024 $59,484 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.4% 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 Wayne County's history
1796
1796 (created) 1815 (organized). Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 2,666,751. The 2020 Census counted 1,793,561, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A tornado in July 1997 did $90 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in August 2014 did $1.1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in May 2019 did $64 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $139 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Wayne County scores higher than all four counties that border it. Of the group, Wayne County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (27.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, MI | 98 | 22.1% | 27.6% |
| Macomb County, MI | 59 | 10.8% | 21.0% |
| Monroe County, MI | 47 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 31 | 13.9% | 13.1% |
| Oakland County, MI | 23 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 22.1% in 2024, 2nd 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, Wayne County ranks 1st of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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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Abayomi Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Amandla Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Bridging Communities, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid & Defender Association of Detroit
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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.