Unemployment in Howard County, Indiana, is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties
In Howard County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% 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 70.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Howard 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 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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- 70.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 67.0 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 rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,297 · 202448th 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 Howard 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 Howard County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Howard County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Howard County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Howard County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Howard County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 12.2% in 2019 to 10.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Howard County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.3% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Howard County, Indiana.
How Howard County has changed
Howard County's population had its largest rise, from 81,918 in 1969 to 87,215 in 1974.
Howard County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 87,305 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Howard County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Howard County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 41,505 in 2005 to 34,531 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Howard County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 47,159 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Howard County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,998 | 2024 $67,297 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Howard County's history
1844
Organized in 1844. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in March 1961 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $250 million in property damage and killed 17 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
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
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $18 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in August 2016 did $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
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 | 82 | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| Howard County, IN | 80 | 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 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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.