In DeKalb County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In DeKalb County, 15.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeKalb County's score
In DeKalb County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 57.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.9. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in DeKalb 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, DeKalb County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (221.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221.7 · 202580th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 25.5 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 rent17.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.1% · fiscal year 20273rd percentile
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- 25.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,096 · 202418th percentile
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- 15.9 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 working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
DeKalb County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In DeKalb County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In DeKalb County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.9% in 2011.
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 6.0% 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, DeKalb County, Indiana.
How DeKalb County has changed
DeKalb County's population had its largest rise, from 35,070 in 1989 to 37,628 in 1994.
DeKalb County's population rose 45% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 42,269. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, DeKalb County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County had its largest drop, from 21,299 in 2005 to 17,897 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 21,862 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, DeKalb County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.7% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,104 | 2024 $81,096 |
The table uses 3.3% 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 DeKalb County's history
1835
February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1837 (organized). Wikipedia
1991
A thunderstorm in March 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in July 1992 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 43,265, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1982
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeKalb County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
DeKalb County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border DeKalb County, in Indiana and Ohio, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeKalb County ranks 5th of the six; Defiance County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, IN | 49 | 12.3% | 20.0% |
| Williams County, OH | 43 | 10.3% | 27.1% |
| Steuben County, IN | 28 | 9.4% | 24.1% |
| Noble County, IN | 28 | 9.8% | 23.0% |
| Defiance County, OH | 24 | 8.9% | 27.9% |
| DeKalb County, IN | 20 | 8.9% | 22.6% |
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 DeKalb County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 73rd 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, DeKalb County ranks 77th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.