About one in 21 people in Hamilton County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Hamilton County, 4.7% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hamilton County's score
In Hamilton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 36.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 2.5. About one in 21 people (4.7%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Hamilton County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Hamilton County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 36.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.8% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people163.1 · 202564th percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.5% · fiscal year 20271st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 10.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score14.7% · Q4 202511th percentile
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- 9.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20267th percentile
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- 2.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line4.3% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability8.0% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$127,452 · 20241st percentile
- People below the poverty line4.7% · 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Hamilton County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hamilton County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hamilton County in 2024, pay from work was 70 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 22 cents. Benefit checks were 9 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
That split has held roughly steady since 1969, when benefit checks were 5 cents of every dollar.
In Hamilton County, pay from work still brings in most of the money
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Hamilton County, Indiana: 8.5% and 69.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 8.5% of all personal income in Hamilton County, Indiana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Hamilton County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Hamilton County has changed
The number of people living in Hamilton County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 53,123 to 379,704. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 2.2% in 1990 to 2.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 53,123 | 2024 379,704 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 40,707 | 2024 163,937 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.3% | 2024 4.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $46,673 | 2024 $127,452 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.5% | 2024 8.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Hamilton County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 347,467, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1913
Great Flood of 1913. Wikipedia
1965
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, six deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hamilton County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Hamilton County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Hamilton County score higher than it does. Of the group, Hamilton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Madison County gets the largest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IN | 83 | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Madison County, IN | 76 | 14.6% | 30.5% |
| Clinton County, IN | 30 | 12.6% | 26.0% |
| Tipton County, IN | 24 | 7.8% | 26.7% |
| Hancock County, IN | 14 | 5.8% | 17.5% |
| Boone County, IN | 6 | 5.6% | 9.9% |
| Hamilton County, IN | 2 | 4.7% | 8.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Hamilton County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 4.7% in 2024, the lowest 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, Hamilton County ranks 92nd of 92 in the state.
Hamilton County in photographs
Places in Hamilton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Noblesville-indiana-county-seat.jpg.
Photo: Not stated on the file page via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Hamilton County, Indiana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Hamilton County, Indiana?
4.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 21 people. Among children it was 4.3%.
Is Hamilton County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 4.7% in 2024, the lowest 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, Hamilton County ranks 92nd of 92 in the state.
What is the population of Hamilton County, Indiana?
About 379,704 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 347,467, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hamilton County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Hamilton County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Hamilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.