About one in 12 people in Bartholomew County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Bartholomew County, 8.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bartholomew County's score
In Bartholomew County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 66.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 19.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bartholomew 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, Bartholomew County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (234.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people234.5 · 202582nd percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.6% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 19.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,019 · 202418th 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 Bartholomew 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 Bartholomew County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bartholomew County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bartholomew County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 13.2% in 2004 to 18.5% in 2009.
In Bartholomew County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 17.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Bartholomew County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bartholomew County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.7% in 2018 to 8.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Bartholomew County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 7.4%
Low on the chart: 7.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
How Bartholomew County has changed
Bartholomew County's population rose by about half to 84,741, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 60,249. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bartholomew County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 49,797 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,963 | 2024 $81,019 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Bartholomew County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $150 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 82,208, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bartholomew County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bartholomew County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Bartholomew County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bartholomew County ranks 6th of the seven; Jennings County is highest, at 34.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennings County, IN | 56 | 13.1% | 34.0% |
| Shelby County, IN | 49 | 10.9% | 25.0% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 39 | 8.4% | 17.7% |
| Jackson County, IN | 39 | 11.3% | 22.4% |
| Decatur County, IN | 34 | 10.4% | 24.4% |
| Brown County, IN | 31 | 9.3% | 25.9% |
| Johnson County, IN | 24 | 7.3% | 17.3% |
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 Bartholomew County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Bartholomew County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 80th 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, Bartholomew County ranks 46th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bartholomew 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.
Download the CSV for Bartholomew County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Bartholomew County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.