About one in 11 people in Harrison County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Harrison County, 8.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harrison County's score
In Harrison County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.5. About one in 11 children (9.4%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harrison 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, Harrison County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (207.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people207.5 · 202576th percentile
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- 33.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 32.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 26.3 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 rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.4% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,264 · 202421st 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harrison County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harrison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Harrison County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2009 to 9.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harrison County, Indiana.
How Harrison County has changed
Harrison County's population doubled to 39,978, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 26,884. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harrison County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County had its largest rise, from 8,231 in 1995 to 11,947 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 11,947 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harrison County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,380 | 2024 $79,264 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Harrison County's history
1863
Battle of Corydon during Civil War. Wikipedia
1971
A tornado in May 1971 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in October 1977 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 39,654, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harrison County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harrison County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Harrison County, in Indiana and Kentucky, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harrison County ranks 4th of the seven; Crawford County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, IN | 69 | 16.4% | 36.0% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 69 | 14.6% | 20.1% |
| Hardin County, KY | 66 | 12.7% | 27.1% |
| Washington County, IN | 56 | 14.8% | 26.6% |
| Meade County, KY | 47 | 9.8% | 23.3% |
| Floyd County, IN | 34 | 10.2% | 20.1% |
| Harrison County, IN | 23 | 8.9% | 23.8% |
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 Harrison County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Harrison County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 73rd 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, Harrison County ranks 74th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harrison 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.