In LaPorte County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In LaPorte County, 21.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 62% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives LaPorte County's score
In LaPorte County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 71.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 301.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 64.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in LaPorte 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.
LaPorte County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.9%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.6% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people301.7 · 202591st percentile
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- 64.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.3% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 60.2 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 rent19.5% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 47.7 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 line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,116 · 202445th 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 LaPorte 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 LaPorte County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
LaPorte County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In LaPorte County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In LaPorte County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in LaPorte County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (9.8% in 2009) to 11.5% in 2010.
The share of households in LaPorte County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.8% 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, LaPorte County, Indiana.
How LaPorte County has changed
LaPorte County's population had its largest rise, from 106,502 in 1989 to 109,620 in 1994.
LaPorte County's population rose 7% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 112,887 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, LaPorte County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in LaPorte County had its largest drop, from 45,085 in 2005 to 40,675 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in LaPorte County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 47,385 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, LaPorte County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,531 | 2024 $68,116 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 LaPorte County's history
1832
LaPorte County was formed in 1832. Wikipedia
1838
Potawatomi Indians forcibly removed to Kansas in Trail of Death. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in October 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A thunderstorm in August 2006 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 112,417, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered LaPorte County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
LaPorte County beside its neighbors
LaPorte County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in Indiana and Michigan. For the share of income from benefit checks, LaPorte County ranks 2nd of the five; Starke County is highest, at 35.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 63 | 15.4% | 22.1% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 63 | 13.6% | 26.3% |
| Starke County, IN | 56 | 11.2% | 35.7% |
| Berrien County, MI | 53 | 13.4% | 24.8% |
| Porter County, IN | 33 | 8.5% | 18.6% |
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 LaPorte County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, LaPorte 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, LaPorte County ranks 13th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in LaPorte 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 LaPorte 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 LaPorte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.