Unemployment in Howard County, Indiana, is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties
In Howard County, 5.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Howard County's score
In Howard County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 81.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 309 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.3.
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.
Howard County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($67,297, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Howard 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.
- 81.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people309 · 202591st percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.8% · Q4 202559th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202679th percentile
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- 67.0 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 income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,297 · 202448th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Howard 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
Howard County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Howard County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Howard County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Howard County, Indiana: 30.5% and 55.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.5% of all personal income in Howard 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 Howard County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Howard County has changed
The number of people living in Howard County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 81,918 to 84,082. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.9% in 1990 to 6.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 81,918 | 2024 84,082 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 41,991 | 2024 35,758 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $31,998 | 2024 $67,297 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.6% | 2024 30.5% |
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 Howard County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 86,896. The 2020 Census counted 83,658, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1844
Organized in 1844. Wikipedia
1961
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
Tornado: $250 million in property damage, 17 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $18 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Tornado: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Howard County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Howard County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Howard County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Howard County ranks 4th of the seven; Grant County is highest, at 35.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, IN | 81 | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| Howard County, IN | 79 | 13.6% | 30.5% |
| Miami County, IN | 60 | 12.7% | 30.7% |
| Cass County, IN | 58 | 13.7% | 31.9% |
| Clinton County, IN | 30 | 12.6% | 26.0% |
| Tipton County, IN | 24 | 7.8% | 26.7% |
| Carroll County, IN | 18 | 9.0% | 21.8% |
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 Howard County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Howard County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 24th 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, Howard County ranks 8th of 92 in the state.
Howard County in photographs
Places in Howard County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Howard County courthouse in Kokomo, Indiana.
Photo: Derek Jensen ( Tysto ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Countryside in southern Harrison Township, Howard County, Indiana, United States.
Howard County, Indiana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Howard County, Indiana?
13.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 18.6%.
Is Howard County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Howard County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 24th 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, Howard County ranks 8th of 92 in the state.
What is the population of Howard County, Indiana?
About 84,082 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 83,658, 96% of the county's peak of 86,896 in 1980.
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 Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.