Ogemaw County, Michigan Eviction Risk: Low

Ogemaw County sits in northeastern Michigan's lower peninsula and carries a Low eviction risk score of 3.3/10 - but that headline number deserves a closer look. The county ranks 9th out of 83 Michigan counties, meaning only eight counties in the state carry higher eviction risk. Landlords and renters in Ogemaw are operating in the higher-risk third of Michigan, even though the absolute score reads as low on a national scale.

The county's total tracked renter population of 6,284 is spread across five communities. Skidway Lake is the largest at 3,008 residents and scores 3.4/10. West Branch, the county seat and the next-largest community at 2,225 residents, scores 3.3/10. Prescott carries the highest individual score at 3.5/10, followed by Lupton at 3.4/10 and Rose City at the lower end with 2.8/10. The spread from 2.8 to 3.5 is narrow, which reflects consistent economic pressures across the county rather than isolated hotspots. Average rent across the county is $786 per month. That figure looks modest compared to urban Michigan, but it lands against a 38.6% average rent burden - meaning households are spending well over a third of their gross income on housing. A rent burden above 30% is the federal threshold for cost-stressed housing, and 38.6% is notably above it. That gap between affordable-looking rents and high burden is explained by the 30.7% average poverty rate - one of the more significant poverty concentrations in the state. When nearly a third of residents fall below the federal poverty line, even moderate rents become a significant strain.

Michigan's statewide framework under MCL § 554.601 et seq. (Landlord-Tenant Relationships) governs all landlord-tenant disputes in Ogemaw County. There is no local rent control - Michigan preempts local ordinances on that front entirely. Landlords pursuing nonpayment cases must serve a 7-day notice under MCL 600.5714 before filing. Filing fees range from $45 to $150, and uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, with contested matters running 45 to 120 days. Attorney fees typically fall between $500 and $2,500. There is no just-cause requirement for terminating a tenancy, and month-to-month leases can be ended with a 30-day notice under MCL 554.134. The retaliation protection statute at MCL § 600.5720 and habitability requirements under MCL § 554.139 are both in force countywide. Source of income is not a protected class under state law, so landlords are not required to accept housing vouchers - a factor that can limit housing access for the county's lower-income renter population given the 32.4% renter share.

Ogemaw County's eviction risk profile reflects the intersection of rural Michigan eviction laws economics - low wages, high poverty, and limited renter protections - across a small, dispersed population of roughly 6,284 renters tracked across 5 communities.