Unemployment in Marshall County, Indiana, is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Marshall County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 55.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 27.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.4%, August 2025, lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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, Marshall County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.5% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198.5 · 202574th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,762 · 202443rd percentile
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- 29.4 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 rent14.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 27.5 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 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 27.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.4% · second quarter of 202634th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.7% in 2010 to 8.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Marshall 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: 5.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, Indiana.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest rise, from 34,782 in 1969 to 37,478 in 1974.
Marshall County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,464
High on the chart: 47,126 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 20,594 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,821 | 2024 $68,762 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Marshall County's history
1835
February 7, 1835 (authorized) 1836 (organized). Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 47,051. The 2020 Census counted 46,095, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flood in February 2018 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Lightning in July 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Marshall County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 3rd of the six; Starke County is highest, at 35.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 63 | 15.4% | 22.1% |
| Fulton County, IN | 60 | 11.8% | 27.0% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 56 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Starke County, IN | 56 | 11.2% | 35.7% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 32 | 9.7% | 20.2% |
| Marshall County, IN | 27 | 12.1% | 23.3% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 39th 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, Marshall County ranks 64th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.