#1,618 Indiana · 2026

Ohio County, Indiana

49.4 · moderate-low county distress 1,618th of 3,144 counties nationally · 6,004 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
316 Ohio residents
vs.
126 U.S. median

More than double the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 43.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 40 words · paste-ready

Ohio County, Indiana ranks 1,618th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 316 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 1,618th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 49.4 · moderate-low county distress, 25th in Indiana.
  • A bankruptcy filing rate of 316 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 92nd percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Disability rate at 17% — national median 16%, ranked at the 62nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 93rd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 15-point drop to Dearborn County marks where the Indiana distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Ohio County, Indiana and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Ohio and its 4 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Ohio County ranks 1,618th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Ohio County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.5% -4.2 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

11.3% +2.0 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

28.6% +19.3 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

26.2% -3.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Ohio County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Ohio County's value shown alongside IN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Ohio County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Ohio IN median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 68 · Rank 927 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 5% 5% 5% 50th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 5% 5% 93rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 26% 23% 23% 62nd Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 75 · Rank 569 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 25% 22% 23% 58th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 316 223 126 92nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 42 · Rank 1,908 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 19% 21% 67th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 11% 16% 18% 17th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 30 · Rank 2,157 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 30th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 32 · Rank 2,308 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 12% 14% 18% 20th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 15% 16% 62nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 9% 11% 14% 14th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 6% 7% 8% 32nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Default & Legal Primary driver 75
Weight 20% · Rank 569 of 3,144
Delinquency 68
Weight 20% · Rank 927 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 42
Weight 20% · Rank 1,908 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 32
Weight 20% · Rank 2,308 of 3,144
Labor 30
Weight 20% · Rank 2,157 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Ohio County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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RISING SUN, Ind. — Ohio County ranks 1,618th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 49.4 out of 100 gives Ohio a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,617 counties rank more distressed. Within Indiana, Ohio ranks 25th of 92 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Ohio. A bankruptcy filing rate of 316 — more than double the national median of 126.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ohio County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Ohio County scores 49.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 1,618th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 25th of 92 Indiana counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Ohio County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 75. Bankruptcy filing rate ranks at the 92nd percentile nationally.

How does Ohio County compare to its neighbors?

Ohio County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Switzerland County (52.44, moderate county distress). Lowest: Dearborn County (37.11, low-moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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