Unemployment in Lawrence County, Indiana, is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties
In Lawrence County, 3.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 69.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 28.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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, Lawrence County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (283.9, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.8% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people283.9 · 202589th percentile
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- 50.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 48.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.8% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,270 · 202454th percentile
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- 42.1 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid fell most in two steps: 11.8% in 2016 to 9.9% in 2017; 10.5% in 2019 to 8.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Lawrence County, Indiana.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest rise, from 37,944 in 1969 to 41,122 in 1974.
Lawrence County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45,192
High on the chart: 46,138 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest rise, from 13,457 in 1990 to 16,071 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 16,071 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,195 | 2024 $65,270 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Lawrence County's history
1818
Lawrence County was formed in 1818 by subdividing Orange County. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 46,134. The 2020 Census counted 45,011, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2026
A flood in March 2026 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lawrence County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 3rd of the seven; Orange County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, IN | 56 | 14.8% | 26.6% |
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 45 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Orange County, IN | 43 | 13.4% | 34.4% |
| Jackson County, IN | 39 | 11.3% | 22.4% |
| Monroe County, IN | 35 | 16.8% | 18.0% |
| Martin County, IN | 23 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 33rd 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, Lawrence County ranks 41st of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.