Unemployment in Adams County, Indiana, is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Adams County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Adams County's score
In Adams County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 47.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 28.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Adams County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Adams County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (20.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance20.7% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,816 · 202438th percentile
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- 34.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135 · 202553rd percentile
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- 32.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.0% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 29.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.2% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Adams County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Adams County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Adams County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Adams County had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 2004 to 22.5% in 2009.
In Adams County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 20.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Adams County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.8% in 2017 to 8.0% in 2018.
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 6.6%
Low on the chart: 5.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Adams County, Indiana.
How Adams County has changed
Adams County's population had its largest rise, from 28,005 in 1974 to 29,647 in 1979.
Adams County's population rose 37% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 33,822. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Adams County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Adams County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 14,643 in 2005 to 12,018 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Adams County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 15,392 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Adams County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,556 | 2024 $70,816 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Adams County's history
1835
The statute mandating the creation of this county was passed on February 7, 1835, and the organization itself was authorized on March 1, 1836. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in August 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in July 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 35,809, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in March 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Adams County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Adams County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Adams County, in Indiana and Ohio, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Adams County ranks 4th of the six; Jay County is highest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay County, IN | 62 | 14.7% | 26.2% |
| Allen County, IN | 49 | 12.3% | 20.0% |
| Adams County, IN | 23 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
| Van Wert County, OH | 21 | 8.9% | 24.5% |
| Wells County, IN | 17 | 8.0% | 23.9% |
| Mercer County, OH | 1 | 8.0% | 16.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Adams County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Adams County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 51st highest of 92 in Indiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Delaware County, at 20.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adams County ranks 71st of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Adams County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Adams County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.