About one in five people in Benton County, Indiana, has a disability
In Benton County, 19.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 68.3. About one in four renters (23.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 58.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.
Benton County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people below the poverty line (9.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.3 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 rent23.3% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people137.5 · 202554th percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,407 · 202437th percentile
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- 39.6 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 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Benton County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 8.4% in 2023 to 11.7% in 2024.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.9% 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, Benton County, Indiana.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population had its largest drop, from 10,437 in 1979 to 9,810 in 1984.
Benton County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8,853
High on the chart: 11,329 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Benton County had its largest drop, from 2,816 in 2000 to 2,427 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Benton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,816 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.8% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,789 | 2024 $71,407 |
The table uses 3.2% 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 Benton County's history
1840
Formed on February 18, 1840, from Jasper's area. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 13,123. The 2020 Census counted 8,719, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Benton County, in Indiana and Illinois, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Benton County ranks 4th of the eight; Vermilion County is highest, at 30.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermilion County, IL | 73 | 17.3% | 30.9% |
| Benton County, IN | 52 | 9.8% | 24.6% |
| Newton County, IN | 51 | 9.9% | 24.2% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 42 | 16.8% | 17.8% |
| White County, IN | 33 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Jasper County, IN | 32 | 10.1% | 22.9% |
| Iroquois County, IL | 26 | 10.4% | 27.7% |
| Warren County, IN | 11 | 8.4% | 22.9% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 64th 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, Benton County ranks 28th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.