Unemployment in Morgan County, Indiana, is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties
In Morgan County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morgan County's score
In Morgan County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 27.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morgan 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, Morgan County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (316.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.9 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 rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
-
- 68.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people316.8 · 202592nd percentile
-
- 47.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
-
- 27.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,686 · 202420th percentile
-
- 27.4 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 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.9% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
-
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 Morgan 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 Morgan County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morgan County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Morgan County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Morgan County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.8% in 2011 to 11.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 7.8%
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morgan County, Indiana.
How Morgan County has changed
Morgan County's population had its largest rise, from 60,489 in 1994 to 66,098 in 1999.
Morgan County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 73,825, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 68,583. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morgan County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County rose by about a quarter to 15,548, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 15,154. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morgan County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,466 | 2024 $79,686 |
The table uses 3.4% 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 Morgan County's history
1822
February 15, 1822 (authorized) December 1822 (organized). Wikipedia
2002
A tornado in September 2002 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $80 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 71,780, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $7.52 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flood in April 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1991
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morgan County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morgan County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Morgan County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morgan County ranks 4th of the eight; Owen County is highest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IN | 82 | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Morgan County, IN | 49 | 9.4% | 23.1% |
| Owen County, IN | 37 | 12.2% | 30.0% |
| Monroe County, IN | 35 | 16.8% | 18.0% |
| Brown County, IN | 31 | 9.3% | 25.9% |
| Johnson County, IN | 24 | 7.3% | 17.3% |
| Hendricks County, IN | 20 | 5.6% | 14.5% |
| Putnam County, IN | 19 | 10.9% | 23.9% |
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 Morgan County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Morgan County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 68th 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, Morgan County ranks 35th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morgan 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.
-
Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
-
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
Legal aid
-
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 Morgan 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 Morgan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.