About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Decatur County, Indiana, have a job
In Decatur County, 12.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Decatur County's score
In Decatur County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 70.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Decatur 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, Decatur County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (257.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.4% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people257.6 · 202586th percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 40.7 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 rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 23.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,515 · 202437th percentile
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- 11.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202615th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.8% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Decatur County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Decatur County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Decatur County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 9.9% in 2011 to 11.5% in 2012; 12.0% in 2014 to 10.4% in 2015; 9.9% in 2018 to 8.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Decatur County, Indiana.
How Decatur County has changed
Decatur County's population rose 17% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 23,483. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Decatur County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 13,667, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 14,325 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Decatur County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,717 | 2024 $71,515 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Decatur County's history
1821
December 12, 1821 (authorized) 1822 (organized). Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Lightning in May 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,472, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Decatur County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Decatur County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Decatur County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Decatur County ranks 5th 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% |
| Rush County, IN | 47 | 11.4% | 25.6% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 39 | 8.4% | 17.7% |
| Decatur County, IN | 34 | 10.4% | 24.4% |
| Ripley County, IN | 27 | 9.6% | 23.3% |
| Franklin County, IN | 12 | 8.6% | 24.6% |
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 Decatur County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Decatur County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 57th 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, Decatur County ranks 52nd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.