About one in 17 people in Hancock County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Hancock County, 5.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 58.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.8. About one in eight adults aged 25 to 54 (12.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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.
Even so, Hancock County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (247.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people247.2 · 202584th percentile
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- 29.0 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 rent13.6% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.3% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 12.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.9% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,513 · 20246th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hancock County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hancock County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 17.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Hancock County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.8% in 2016 to 5.8% in 2017.
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 4.5%
Low on the chart: 3.0% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hancock County, Indiana.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 78,711 in 2019 to 88,810 in 2024.
Hancock County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 88,810, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 43,872. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County had its largest rise in the last span, from 24,949 in 2020 to 30,233 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 30,233, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 18,845. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.8% | 2024 5.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,844 | 2024 $96,513 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Hancock County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in March 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in April 2009 did $3,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 79,840, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Hancock County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hancock County ranks 5th of the seven; Henry County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IN | 82 | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Madison County, IN | 76 | 14.6% | 30.5% |
| Henry County, IN | 50 | 14.5% | 32.1% |
| Shelby County, IN | 49 | 10.9% | 25.0% |
| Rush County, IN | 47 | 11.4% | 25.6% |
| Hancock County, IN | 12 | 5.8% | 17.5% |
| Hamilton County, IN | 2 | 4.7% | 8.5% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 5.8% in 2024, 89th 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, Hancock County ranks 86th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.