Unemployment in Franklin County, Indiana, is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Franklin County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 41.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 41.1 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 29.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people99.6 · 202535th percentile
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- 23.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 22.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.6% · 202412th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,204 · 202421st percentile
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- 15.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.6% · second quarter of 202621st 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than 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 Franklin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.4% in 2019 to 5.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 4.6%
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Franklin County, Indiana.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population had its largest rise, from 20,127 in 1994 to 21,981 in 1999.
Franklin County's population rose 36% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 23,195 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County had its largest rise, from 3,495 in 1995 to 4,167 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,517
High on the chart: 4,611 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 8.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,031 | 2024 $79,204 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Franklin County's history
1811
February 1, 1811 (authorized). Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 23,087. The 2020 Census counted 22,785, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flood in December 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in March 2020 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in July 2023 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Franklin County, in Indiana and Ohio, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 4th of the eight; Fayette County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, IN | 81 | 16.2% | 38.6% |
| Butler County, OH | 49 | 13.0% | 20.1% |
| Rush County, IN | 47 | 11.4% | 25.6% |
| Decatur County, IN | 34 | 10.4% | 24.4% |
| Ripley County, IN | 27 | 9.6% | 23.3% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 25 | 8.6% | 22.0% |
| 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 Franklin County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 8.6% in 2024, 76th 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, Franklin County ranks 87th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.