Unemployment in Martin County, Indiana, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Martin County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Martin County's score
In Martin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 47.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Martin 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.
Martin County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,890 · 202441st percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people181.9 · 202570th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 26.7 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 rent15.9% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 15.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th 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 Martin 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 Martin County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Martin County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Martin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Martin County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Martin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.9% in 2012 to 12.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Martin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.3%
Low on the chart: 6.7% 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, Martin County, Indiana.
How Martin County has changed
Martin County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 11,199 in 1979 to 10,754 in 1984.
Martin County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 11,199 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Martin County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Martin County had its largest rise, from 6,990 in 2015 to 7,922 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Martin County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2005, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 6,776 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Martin County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,622 | 2024 $69,890 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Martin County's history
1820
Martin County was authorized on January 20, 1820. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,711. The 2020 Census counted 9,812, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flood in February 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in June 2023 did $1,150,000 in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A flood in March 2026 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Martin County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Martin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Martin County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Martin County ranks 4th of the six; Orange County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 45 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Orange County, IN | 43 | 13.4% | 34.4% |
| Daviess County, IN | 27 | 12.4% | 19.5% |
| Martin County, IN | 23 | 12.2% | 27.6% |
| Dubois County, IN | 4 | 7.7% | 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 Martin County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Martin County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 36th 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, Martin County ranks 73rd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Martin 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 Martin 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 Martin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.