About one in five people in Jay County, Indiana, has a disability
In Jay County, 18.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jay County's score
In Jay County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 69.8. The typical household earns $58,963 a year (2024), less than in 73% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 60.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jay 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.
Jay County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (21.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,963 · 202473rd percentile
-
- 60.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.6% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
-
- 59.7 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
-
- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people194.7 · 202573rd percentile
-
- 39.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
-
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 Jay 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 Jay County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jay County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jay County had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 2004 to 27.1% in 2009.
In Jay County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Jay County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jay County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.1% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Jay County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jay County, Indiana.
How Jay County has changed
Jay County's population had its largest drop, from 23,651 in 1979 to 22,130 in 1984.
Jay County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 24,035 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jay County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Jay County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 7,380 in 2015 to 6,428 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jay County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 7,869 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jay County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,210 | 2024 $58,963 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Jay County's history
1835
February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1836 (organized). Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 26,818. The 2020 Census counted 20,478, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in February 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jay County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jay County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Jay County, in Indiana and Ohio, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jay County ranks 4th of the eight; Blackford County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, IN | 85 | 20.5% | 31.9% |
| Jay County, IN | 62 | 14.7% | 26.2% |
| Randolph County, IN | 58 | 15.8% | 28.7% |
| Blackford County, IN | 55 | 12.2% | 37.0% |
| Darke County, OH | 27 | 11.6% | 22.8% |
| Adams County, IN | 23 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
| Wells County, IN | 17 | 8.0% | 23.9% |
| Mercer County, OH | 1 | 8.0% | 16.6% |
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 Jay County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Jay County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 14th 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, Jay County ranks 15th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jay 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.
-
Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
-
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Jay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.