What is the poverty rate in Michigan?
Updated monthly
About 13.4% of Michigan’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 1,334,859 people in Michigan were considered in poverty.
13.4%
of the population (2024)
1.33M
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Michigan's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 17.5%. Its lowest point was in 2019 at 13%. The state's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous year.
In 2024, 13.4% of Michigan population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 1,334,859 people living in Michigan were in poverty — down 21.2% from the 2011 peak of 1,693,294.
In 2024, 1.33M people in Michigan were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Michigan decreased from 22.6% to 18%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 15.9% to 12.7%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.1% to 10.8%.
In 2024, 18% of children in Michigan were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Michigan during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the two or more races population shifted the most, decreasing from 29.2% in 2014 to 17.2% in 2024.
In Michigan, the poverty rate for the two or more races population decreased from 29.2% in 2014 to 17.2% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Michigan counties ranged from 4.9% in Livingston County to 23.2% in Isabella County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Wayne County — was 20.1%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Michigan counties ranged from 4.9% to 23.2%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
