Unemployment in Wexford County, Michigan, is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Wexford 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 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wexford County's score
In Wexford County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.3. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 24.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 80% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 75.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wexford 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.
Wexford County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (5.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.3 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 rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 75.3 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 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 61.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,558 · 202479th percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.3% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167 · 202565th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th 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 Wexford 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 Wexford County, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wexford County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wexford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Wexford County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wexford County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 16.5% in 2019 to 14.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Wexford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 16.9%
Low on the chart: 14.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wexford County, Michigan.
How Wexford County has changed
Wexford County's population had its largest rise, from 19,504 in 1969 to 22,235 in 1974.
Wexford County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,460, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 32,835. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wexford County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Wexford County rose most sharply from its first year (11,023 in 1990) to 14,216 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Wexford County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 16,617 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wexford County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.3% | 2025 6.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,841 | 2024 $56,558 |
The table uses 6.1% 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 Wexford County's history
1840
1840 (created) 1869 (organized). Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,673, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wexford County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wexford County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Wexford County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wexford County ranks 3rd of the six; Lake County is highest, at 46.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, MI | 77 | 15.6% | 31.6% |
| Lake County, MI | 76 | 24.2% | 46.4% |
| Wexford County, MI | 72 | 14.6% | 33.4% |
| Manistee County, MI | 51 | 13.7% | 37.6% |
| Missaukee County, MI | 48 | 12.1% | 31.2% |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 16 | 8.4% | 20.2% |
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 Wexford County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Wexford County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Wexford County ranks 13th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wexford 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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Northwest Michigan Communty Action Agency, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Northern Michigan
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 Wexford 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 Wexford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.