In Ohio County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Ohio County, 24.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ohio County's score
In Ohio County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 316.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 64.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ohio 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.
Ohio County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.4% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people316.5 · 202592nd percentile
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- 64.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 62.3 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,568 · 202439th percentile
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- 22.2 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 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Ohio 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 Ohio County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ohio County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ohio County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Ohio County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Ohio County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen to 3.4%
Biggest drop: 2020 to 2021, reaching 6.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ohio County, Indiana.
How Ohio County has changed
Ohio County's population had its largest rise, from 4,279 in 1969 to 4,818 in 1974.
Ohio County's population rose 40% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 6,134 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ohio County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County had its largest rise, from 571 in 1995 to 2,019 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 2,019 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ohio County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,849 | 2024 $70,568 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Ohio County's history
1844
Created from Dearborn County, authorized January 4, 1844. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 6,128. The 2020 Census counted 5,940, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ohio County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ohio County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Ohio County, in Indiana and Kentucky, one scores higher. Of the group, Ohio County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland County, IN | 61 | 14.3% | 28.3% |
| Ohio County, IN | 55 | 11.3% | 28.6% |
| Ripley County, IN | 27 | 9.6% | 23.3% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 25 | 8.6% | 22.0% |
| Boone County, KY | 23 | 7.5% | 16.0% |
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 Ohio County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Ohio County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 47th 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, Ohio County ranks 26th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ohio 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.
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 Ohio County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.