Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Fayette County, Indiana
In Fayette County, 38.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 81.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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.
Fayette County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people299.6 · 202590th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.2% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.1% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,267 · 202469th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 63.7 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 60.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.3% · 2020 to 202475th 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 38.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Fayette County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.3% in 2010 to 17.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 20.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fayette County, Indiana.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest rise, from 26,075 in 1969 to 27,912 in 1974.
Fayette County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 27,918 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County had its largest drop, from 8,833 in 2005 to 6,270 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County fell by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,767
High on the chart: 11,413 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 16.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,135 | 2024 $60,267 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Fayette County's history
1818
Created 1818 from portions of Wayne and Franklin counties and unincorporated ('New Purchase') territory. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 28,272. The 2020 Census counted 23,398, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Fayette County, one scores higher. Of the group, Fayette County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, IN | 84 | 18.3% | 31.8% |
| Fayette County, IN | 81 | 16.2% | 38.6% |
| Henry County, IN | 50 | 14.5% | 32.1% |
| Rush County, IN | 47 | 11.4% | 25.6% |
| Union County, IN | 23 | 11.3% | 29.3% |
| 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 Fayette County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 16.2% in 2024, 8th 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, Fayette County ranks 7th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.