In Monroe County, Indiana, benefit checks make up only 18 cents of every dollar of income
In Monroe County, 18.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 81.9. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 25.2. People with a credit card behind: 2.9%, August 2025, lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Monroe 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, Monroe County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (32.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent32.9% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 38.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,457 · 202447th percentile
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- 35.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people114.1 · 202543rd percentile
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- 25.7 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 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 25.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.0% · second quarter of 202622nd 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, 14.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.9% in 2010 to 8.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2020 to 2021, reaching 6.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Monroe County, Indiana.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population had its largest rise, from 81,933 in 1969 to 92,422 in 1974.
Monroe County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 140,702, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 140,257. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County rose 37% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 55,266. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,664 | 2024 $67,457 |
The table uses 3.3% 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 Monroe County's history
1818
Monroe County was formed in 1818 from portions of Orange County. Wikipedia
2007
A flood in January 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in April 2014 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 139,718, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A tornado in February 2026 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Monroe County, five score higher. Of the group, Monroe County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Owen County gets the largest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Morgan County, IN | 49 | 9.4% | 23.1% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 45 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Jackson County, IN | 39 | 11.3% | 22.4% |
| Owen County, IN | 37 | 12.2% | 30.0% |
| Monroe County, IN | 35 | 16.8% | 18.0% |
| Brown County, IN | 31 | 9.3% | 25.9% |
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 Monroe County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 5th 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, Monroe County ranks 50th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe 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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City of Bloomington - Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Monroe 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 Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.