What is the poverty rate in Michigan?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 12.6% of Michigan’s population as of 2025. 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 2025, 1.25 million people in Michigan were considered in poverty.
12.6%
of the population (2025)
1.25M
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.8 percentage points lower than the previous year. Michigan's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 17.5%.
In 2025, 12.6% of Michigan's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
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 2025, 1.25M people living in Michigan were in poverty — down 26% from the 2011 peak of 1.69M.
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In 2025, 1.25M people in Michigan were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Michigan?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Michigan decreased from 22.4% to 16.5%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 15.4% to 12%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.8% to 10.7%.
In 2025, 16.5% of children in Michigan were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Michigan?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Michigan during 2025, 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
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 24.6% in 2015 to 12.9% in 2025.
In Michigan, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 24.6% in 2015 to 12.9% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Michigan have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Michigan counties ranged from 5.1% in Livingston County to 21.9% in Isabella County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Wayne County — was 20.8%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Michigan counties ranged from 5.1% to 21.9%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Isabella County | 21.9% |
| 2. | Clare County | 21.6% |
| 3. | Wayne County | 20.8% |
| 4. | Lake County | 20.5% |
| 5. | Mecosta County | 19.9% |
| 6. | Saginaw County | 18.2% |
| 7. | Montmorency County | 18.2% |
| 8. | Alpena County | 18.0% |
| 9. | Iosco County | 17.7% |
| 10. | Oscoda County | 17.2% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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.
