Study Says This is Michigan’s Poorest Town

It's getting to a point where existing is just too expensive. No wonder millennials are so morbidly cynical. If inflation is driving prices up but the pay doesn't increase at the same rate, it makes living paycheck to paycheck seem like more of a pipe dream than actually owning a house.

And that's in average areas. Multiply those feelings considerably for towns that were already considered poor.

It's the nature of things. For there to be an average town financially, there has to be towns that are wealthier and those that are poorer. Just because the cost of living in Michigan is lower than the national average does not mean that everyone in our state is thriving. A great number of Michiganders are struggling to get by.

According to a study analyzing the poorest towns in each state from 24/7 Wall Street, the poorest town in Michigan has a median income over $40,000 below the state median income and more than triple the state's average of SNAP benefit households. The study says the town of Baldwin, Michigan, is the poorest town in the state.

Baldwin is a small village in Lake County northwest of Big Rapids at the intersections of Highways 10 and 37.

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Out of 375 towns across the state that fit the criteria to be considered, Baldwin residents seem to struggle the most. The town is small, holding just 1,036 residents, but those who live there are not seeing any type of cash flow.

Baldwin residents have a median income of just $22,593 - that means on average, people living in Baldwin are making roughly $10.86 per hour on a 40-hour work week. The state minimum wage is $10.10 per hour. While homes are cheaper in Baldwin, with a median home value of $79,100, no one can afford to own a home on that kind of pay.

According to the study, 41.3% of Baldwin residents are receiving some type of SNAP benefits. Across the state of Michigan, just 12.6% receive benefits. That isn't particularly surprising as another recent study estimated that Michiganders need to make at least  $50,049 per year to get by, more than double what the average Baldwin resident is making.