John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Medicaid was the second smallest contributor. Social Security was the largest, totaling $44.46 billion, equating to $4,431 per capita and making up 37.4% of total transfers.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Michigan in 2022, accounting for $30.49 billion, averaging $3,038 per capita, and represented 25.7% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $12.68 billion, averaging $1,264 per capita and comprising 10.7% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $118.74 billion, and accounted for 20.7% of residents’ total income, with an average of $11,834 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 18.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Michigan has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Michigan, excluding government transfers was $45,203.9, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $57,038, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Michigan saw an increase in its Medicaid transfer dependency by 0.1%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Michigan, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8.1% (or $1,992 per capita) in 1970 to 20.7% (or $11,834 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1 | 27.7% | 16.6% | 7.8% | 6.4% | 7.6% | 4.3% | $13,435 |
| Oakland County | 2 | 11.9% | 18.4% | 5.2% | 3.6% | 1.4% | 0.8% | $10,053 |
| Macomb County | 3 | 20% | 18.3% | 8.1% | 6.1% | 2.2% | 2% | $10,779 |
| Kent County | 4 | 13.9% | 14.9% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 2.4% | 1.7% | $9,305 |
| Genesee County | 5 | 29.2% | 18.8% | 10.2% | 7.6% | 5.5% | 3.9% | $13,910 |
| Washtenaw County | 6 | 12.2% | 15.8% | 5.3% | 3% | 1.6% | 1% | $8,708 |
| Ingham County | 7 | 21.5% | 14.8% | 7.5% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 2.5% | $10,676 |
| Kalamazoo County | 8 | 17.6% | 16.2% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 2% | $10,489 |
| Saginaw County | 9 | 30.2% | 20.3% | 10.5% | 7.6% | 6.1% | 3.8% | $14,386 |
| Ottawa County | 10 | 14.1% | 16.6% | 6.5% | 3.7% | 1.5% | 1.1% | $8,623 |
| Muskegon County | 11 | 28.9% | 18.4% | 10.1% | 7% | 5.8% | 3.8% | $13,189 |
| Berrien County | 12 | 22.3% | 21.4% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 2.3% | $13,462 |
| St. Clair County | 13 | 24.2% | 20.3% | 9.7% | 6.5% | 3.6% | 2.3% | $12,699 |
| Jackson County | 14 | 26.5% | 19.1% | 10% | 6.8% | 4.7% | 2.8% | $12,290 |
| Livingston County | 15 | 13.5% | 19.6% | 7.1% | 3.6% | 1% | 0.7% | $9,343 |
| Monroe County | 16 | 21.2% | 19.8% | 9.1% | 5.9% | 2.7% | 1.7% | $11,222 |
| Calhoun County | 17 | 28.9% | 18.6% | 10.1% | 6.4% | 5.7% | 3.6% | $12,982 |
| Bay County | 18 | 29.2% | 21.8% | 11% | 7.4% | 5.5% | 2.6% | $14,494 |
| Eaton County | 19 | 22.2% | 20% | 9.7% | 6.7% | 2% | 1.8% | $11,318 |
| Lenawee County | 20 | 25.8% | 20.3% | 10.5% | 7% | 3.9% | 2.2% | $12,252 |
| Allegan County | 21 | 17.8% | 18.3% | 7.9% | 3.9% | 2.7% | 1.7% | $9,781 |
| Grand Traverse County | 22 | 19.1% | 22% | 8.2% | 5.1% | 2.6% | 1.3% | $11,861 |
| Lapeer County | 23 | 23.2% | 20.2% | 10% | 6.5% | 2.8% | 1.8% | $11,720 |
| Midland County | 24 | 19.3% | 20.3% | 7.8% | 5% | 3.3% | 1.5% | $11,761 |
| Van Buren County | 25 | 26% | 19.9% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 2.9% | $12,888 |
| Shiawassee County | 26 | 27.9% | 19.9% | 10.5% | 7.8% | 4.6% | 2.5% | $13,235 |
| Marquette County | 27 | 28.9% | 20.4% | 10.4% | 6% | 6.5% | 1.9% | $13,445 |
| Isabella County | 28 | 28.9% | 14% | 7.9% | 5.2% | 10.6% | 2.6% | $12,964 |
| Tuscola County | 29 | 33.5% | 21.8% | 12.4% | 9.5% | 5.9% | 2.8% | $14,648 |
| Montcalm County | 30 | 27.9% | 18.2% | 10.6% | 7.5% | 4.1% | 3.2% | $11,363 |
| Clinton County | 31 | 15.6% | 18.9% | 7.7% | 4% | 1.3% | 1.1% | $8,885 |
| St. Joseph County | 32 | 24.8% | 19% | 9.6% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 2.8% | $11,632 |
| Barry County | 33 | 18.6% | 19.6% | 8.3% | 4.5% | 2.3% | 1.7% | $10,075 |
| Ionia County | 34 | 23% | 15.8% | 9.2% | 5.7% | 3.6% | 2.5% | $9,427 |
| Newaygo County | 35 | 27.8% | 20.6% | 11.1% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 3.1% | $12,279 |
| Cass County | 36 | 21.7% | 22.6% | 9.3% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 2.2% | $11,904 |
| Sanilac County | 37 | 32.5% | 23.2% | 11.6% | 8.4% | 7% | 2.9% | $15,009 |
| Delta County | 38 | 34% | 26.1% | 13% | 7.9% | 5.1% | 2.5% | $15,159 |
| Hillsdale County | 39 | 28.2% | 21.3% | 11.1% | 6.8% | 4.9% | 2.9% | $11,825 |
| Branch County | 40 | 27.9% | 19.4% | 10.5% | 6.3% | 5.9% | 2.9% | $12,002 |
| Gratiot County | 41 | 30% | 17.8% | 9.9% | 7.8% | 7.1% | 2.8% | $12,927 |
| Clare County | 42 | 41.2% | 25.2% | 15.2% | 12.2% | 5.7% | 4.1% | $16,531 |
| Huron County | 43 | 29.2% | 26.9% | 10.9% | 8.7% | 5.5% | 1.9% | $16,416 |
| Mecosta County | 44 | 29.5% | 20.5% | 11.4% | 7.1% | 3.9% | 3.3% | $12,535 |
| Alpena County | 45 | 36.4% | 25.1% | 12.7% | 9.3% | 8.5% | 2.8% | $17,680 |
| Emmet County | 46 | 21.2% | 25% | 8.2% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 1.2% | $14,856 |
| Houghton County | 47 | 30.1% | 18.2% | 9.4% | 5.7% | 8.8% | 2.2% | $12,897 |
| Roscommon County | 48 | 45.5% | 34.1% | 19.4% | 13.2% | 5.7% | 3.4% | $19,912 |
| Chippewa County | 49 | 30.4% | 19.5% | 10.3% | 7% | 6.6% | 2.7% | $12,960 |
| Wexford County | 50 | 31.3% | 20.6% | 11.1% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 3.4% | $13,710 |
| Iosco County | 51 | 39.7% | 30.6% | 15.7% | 10.2% | 7.2% | 3% | $18,187 |
| Mason County | 52 | 33.3% | 26.1% | 12.6% | 8.8% | 6.4% | 2.6% | $15,660 |
| Manistee County | 53 | 36.6% | 28.1% | 13.6% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 2.5% | $16,657 |
| Gladwin County | 54 | 36.2% | 27.3% | 15.2% | 10% | 4.7% | 3% | $15,826 |
| Dickinson County | 55 | 28.1% | 24.3% | 9.9% | 6% | 6.5% | 1.8% | $15,402 |
| Cheboygan County | 56 | 32.3% | 28.8% | 13.8% | 7.8% | 4.6% | 2.7% | $15,057 |
| Antrim County | 57 | 27.5% | 28.5% | 11.8% | 7% | 4.8% | 1.8% | $15,489 |
| Oceana County | 58 | 30.6% | 22.3% | 11.4% | 8.1% | 5% | 3.4% | $13,738 |
| Charlevoix County | 59 | 20.9% | 27.3% | 9.2% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 1.4% | $13,898 |
| Ogemaw County | 60 | 39.9% | 27.7% | 16.2% | 9.8% | 6.2% | 3.8% | $16,423 |
| Otsego County | 61 | 26.4% | 22.3% | 11.2% | 6.6% | 3.2% | 2.4% | $12,710 |
| Menominee County | 62 | 29.5% | 26.8% | 11.8% | 7.4% | 4.2% | 2.2% | $13,947 |
| Osceola County | 63 | 31.3% | 22.2% | 11.9% | 8.4% | 4.7% | 3.4% | $13,926 |
| Leelanau County | 64 | 16.2% | 33.8% | 8.8% | 4% | 1.4% | 0.6% | $13,243 |
| Gogebic County | 65 | 37.9% | 29.1% | 12.2% | 8.2% | 10.3% | 3% | $18,005 |
| Benzie County | 66 | 25.6% | 28.4% | 11.5% | 6.7% | 3.2% | 1.7% | $14,028 |
| Arenac County | 67 | 36.4% | 27.1% | 14% | 10.2% | 6.1% | 3.1% | $17,004 |
| Kalkaska County | 68 | 31.3% | 21.9% | 12.3% | 8% | 4.9% | 3.1% | $13,192 |
| Presque Isle County | 69 | 36.5% | 33.8% | 16.4% | 10.3% | 4% | 2% | $16,872 |
| Iron County | 70 | 40% | 31.6% | 13.7% | 8.4% | 10.4% | 2.4% | $19,204 |
| Lake County | 71 | 44.1% | 27% | 17% | 11.2% | 7.7% | 4.6% | $16,083 |
| Crawford County | 72 | 35.8% | 26.7% | 14.4% | 8.8% | 4.9% | 3.2% | $14,858 |
| Alcona County | 73 | 38.6% | 36.3% | 17.2% | 10.9% | 4.3% | 2.3% | $19,074 |
| Montmorency County | 74 | 49.3% | 32.8% | 20.5% | 14.4% | 6.3% | 3.4% | $20,425 |
| Missaukee County | 75 | 28.7% | 21.9% | 11.4% | 7% | 4.9% | 2.8% | $12,551 |
| Mackinac County | 76 | 31.4% | 29.9% | 12.5% | 8.6% | 5% | 1.8% | $16,351 |
| Schoolcraft County | 77 | 41.2% | 28.5% | 13.8% | 9.3% | 9.7% | 2.7% | $18,285 |
| Oscoda County | 78 | 40.1% | 29% | 16.7% | 9.6% | 6.3% | 3.7% | $16,284 |
| Alger County | 79 | 35.8% | 27.2% | 15.4% | 9.4% | 4.4% | 2.1% | $14,726 |
| Ontonagon County | 80 | 44.5% | 37.7% | 17.2% | 10.6% | 8.6% | 2.4% | $20,769 |
| Baraga County | 81 | 33.9% | 22.9% | 12.1% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 2.8% | $13,485 |
| Luce County | 82 | 42.2% | 24% | 14.2% | 10.9% | 9.8% | 3.1% | $17,805 |
| Keweenaw County | 83 | 31.2% | 35.8% | 12.8% | 7.5% | 5.6% | 1.6% | $17,118 |
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