In Huntington County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Huntington County, 16.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Huntington County's score
In Huntington County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 64.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 21.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Huntington 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, Huntington County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (266.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.7% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people266.4 · 202587th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,146 · 202435th percentile
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- 21.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 21.6 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Huntington 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 Huntington County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Huntington County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Huntington County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Huntington County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Huntington County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.0%, with most of the change between 2019 and 2020
High on the chart: 11.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Huntington County, Indiana.
How Huntington County has changed
Huntington County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 38,024 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Huntington County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Huntington County had its largest rise, from 14,369 in 1990 to 17,273 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Huntington County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 17,273 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Huntington County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.9% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,300 | 2024 $72,146 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Huntington County's history
1832
February 2, 1832 (authorized) May 5, 1834 (organized). Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in July 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 38,075. The 2020 Census counted 36,662, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A thunderstorm in June 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Huntington County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Huntington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Huntington County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Huntington County ranks 3rd of the six; Grant County is highest, at 35.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, IN | 82 | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| Allen County, IN | 49 | 12.3% | 20.0% |
| Wabash County, IN | 29 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Huntington County, IN | 25 | 8.8% | 26.8% |
| Wells County, IN | 17 | 8.0% | 23.9% |
| Whitley County, IN | 15 | 8.2% | 22.1% |
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 Huntington County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Huntington County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 75th 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, Huntington County ranks 66th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Huntington 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 Huntington 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 Huntington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.