Unemployment in Jackson County, Indiana, is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Jackson County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 77.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 18.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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, Jackson County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (282, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (7.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.5% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people282 · 202588th percentile
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- 62.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,024 · 202435th percentile
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- 23.1 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 rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 18.7 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 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2010 to 10.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Indiana.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 41,798 in 2009 to 44,651 in 2014.
Jackson County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 41,417. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 19,079. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,175 | 2024 $72,024 |
The table uses 3.2% 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 Jackson County's history
1976
A tornado in September 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in April 1996 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in March 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 46,428, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Jackson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 6th of the eight; Jennings County is highest, at 34.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, IN | 68 | 15.0% | 31.4% |
| Jennings County, IN | 56 | 13.1% | 34.0% |
| Washington County, IN | 56 | 14.8% | 26.6% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 45 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 39 | 8.4% | 17.7% |
| Jackson County, IN | 39 | 11.3% | 22.4% |
| Monroe County, IN | 35 | 16.8% | 18.0% |
| Brown County, IN | 31 | 9.3% | 25.9% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 47th 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, Jackson County ranks 47th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.