Unemployment in Knox County, Indiana, is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties
In Knox County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Knox County's score
In Knox County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 65.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 31.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Knox 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, Knox County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.3% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people166.3 · 202565th percentile
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- 54.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.2% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 51.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,618 · 202465th percentile
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- 36.1 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd 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 Knox 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 Knox County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Knox County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Knox County rose most in two steps: 11.0% in 1969 to 15.6% in 1974; 21.9% in 2004 to 26.5% in 2009.
In Knox County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Knox County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Knox County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.4% in 2020 to 12.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Knox County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.9%
High on the chart: 13.9% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Knox County, Indiana.
How Knox County has changed
Knox County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 42,319 in 1984 to 40,375 in 1989.
Knox County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 42,319 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Knox County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Knox County rose 11% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 17,612 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Knox County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,571 | 2024 $61,618 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Knox County's history
1790
Knox County was organized in 1790 by Winthrop Sargent, Secretary of Northwest Territory, making it the fourth county in the Northwest Territory. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 46,195. The 2020 Census counted 36,282, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1963
A tornado in April 1963 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in July 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Knox County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Knox County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Knox County, in Indiana and Illinois, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Knox County ranks 3rd of the nine; Lawrence County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, IL | 52 | 14.7% | 38.5% |
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 51 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Wabash County, IL | 49 | 14.1% | 28.0% |
| Knox County, IN | 46 | 11.9% | 31.1% |
| Daviess County, IN | 27 | 12.4% | 19.5% |
| Crawford County, IL | 27 | 14.5% | 24.2% |
| Pike County, IN | 24 | 9.0% | 30.4% |
| Gibson County, IN | 21 | 10.3% | 23.8% |
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 Knox County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Knox County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 43rd 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, Knox County ranks 40th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Knox 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.
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 Knox County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.