About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Fulton County, Indiana, is not working
In Fulton County, 26.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fulton County's score
In Fulton County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 73.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 284.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 57.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fulton 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.
Fulton County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.2%, fiscal year 2027) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people284.9 · 202589th percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.3% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 55.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.5% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 51.6 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 rent21.4% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
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- 47.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,566 · 202456th 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fulton County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fulton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fulton County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fulton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.1% in 2017 to 8.0% in 2018.
The share of households in Fulton County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fulton County, Indiana.
How Fulton County has changed
Fulton County's population had its largest rise, from 16,989 in 1969 to 18,243 in 1974.
Fulton County's population rose 18% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 20,772 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fulton County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County had its largest rise, from 6,525 in 1990 to 7,604 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 7,604 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fulton County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,197 | 2024 $64,566 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Fulton County's history
1832
New England settlers arrived permanently in September and October 1832. Wikipedia
1836
Formed in 1836 from unorganized territory. Wikipedia
1838
Potawatomi Trail of Death came through town. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in January 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,836. The 2020 Census counted 20,480, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
A thunderstorm in August 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fulton County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fulton County beside its neighbors
Fulton County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fulton County ranks 4th of the seven; Cass County is highest, at 31.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, IN | 60 | 11.8% | 27.0% |
| Miami County, IN | 60 | 12.7% | 30.7% |
| Cass County, IN | 58 | 13.7% | 31.9% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 32 | 9.7% | 20.2% |
| Pulaski County, IN | 32 | 12.0% | 25.7% |
| Wabash County, IN | 29 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Marshall County, IN | 27 | 12.1% | 23.3% |
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 Fulton County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Fulton County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 44th 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, Fulton County ranks 17th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fulton 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.