Unemployment in Orange County, Indiana, is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties
In Orange County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orange County's score
In Orange County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 62.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 25.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orange 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, Orange County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (224.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people224.1 · 202580th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,152 · 202472nd percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.5% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 39.7 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 25.2 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 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st 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 Orange 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 Orange County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orange County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Orange County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Orange County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 15.6% in 2014 to 17.7% in 2015; 17.7% in 2015 to 15.6% in 2016.
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Orange County, Indiana.
How Orange County has changed
Orange County's population had its largest rise, from 18,597 in 1994 to 19,308 in 1999.
Orange County's population rose 17% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 19,931 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orange County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Orange County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 7,386, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 7,544 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orange County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,114 | 2024 $59,152 |
The table uses 3.7% 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 Orange County's history
1811
Quakers from Orange County, North Carolina fled slavery and settled in Indiana. Wikipedia
1815
Formed December 26, 1815 by Indiana Territorial Legislature, effective February 1, 1816, from Knox, Gibson, and Washington counties. Wikipedia
1970
Courthouse clock tower damaged by fire in 1970. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 19,867, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
EF-1 tornado damaged courthouse clock tower on August 6, 2023. Wikipedia
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Since 1979
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orange County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Orange County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Orange County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Orange County ranks 2nd of the six; Crawford County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, IN | 69 | 16.4% | 36.0% |
| Washington County, IN | 56 | 14.8% | 26.6% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 45 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Orange County, IN | 43 | 13.4% | 34.4% |
| 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 Orange County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Orange County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 26th 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, Orange County ranks 42nd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.