About one in five people in Delaware County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Delaware County, 20.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Delaware County's score
In Delaware County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.0. About three in ten renters (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Delaware 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.
Delaware County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.8%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.0 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.8% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 72.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.8% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people229.7 · 202581st percentile
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- 71.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.5% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,462 · 202481st percentile
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- 53.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Delaware County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Delaware County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Delaware County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Delaware County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.4% in 2012 to 15.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Delaware County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 14.2%
Low on the chart: 12.4% 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, Delaware County, Indiana.
How Delaware County has changed
Delaware County's population had its largest drop, from 128,611 in 1979 to 123,569 in 1984.
Delaware County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 131,273 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Delaware County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Delaware County had its largest rise, from 49,805 in 1990 to 56,471 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Delaware County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 56,471 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Delaware County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 20.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,118 | 2024 $55,462 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Delaware County's history
1820
1820 (created) 1827 (organized). Wikipedia
1886
Natural gas discovered and gas boom began 1886 in Muncie area. Wikipedia
1960
Deindustrialization began 1960s, several manufacturing plants closed or moved elsewhere. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 129,219. The 2020 Census counted 111,903, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
Lightning in July 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
From 2001 to 2011, Muncie lost thousands of jobs transitioning from blue-collar to service economy. Wikipedia
2024
A tornado in March 2024 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in July 2024 did $4,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Delaware County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Delaware County beside its neighbors
Delaware County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Delaware County ranks 4th of the seven; Blackford County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, IN | 85 | 20.5% | 31.9% |
| Grant County, IN | 82 | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| Madison County, IN | 76 | 14.6% | 30.5% |
| Jay County, IN | 62 | 14.7% | 26.2% |
| Randolph County, IN | 58 | 15.8% | 28.7% |
| Blackford County, IN | 55 | 12.2% | 37.0% |
| Henry County, IN | 50 | 14.5% | 32.1% |
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 Delaware County the poorest county in Indiana?
Yes, Delaware County's poverty rate was 20.5% in 2024, the highest of 92 counties in Indiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Delaware County ranks 1st of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.