In Owen County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Owen County, 17.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Owen County's score
In Owen County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 61.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 27.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Owen 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, Owen County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (213.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.8% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people213.6 · 202577th percentile
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- 50.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,262 · 202445th percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.0% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 29.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 27.1 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 rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th 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 Owen 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 Owen County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Owen County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Owen County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Owen County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Owen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2011 to 13.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Owen County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.7%
Low on the chart: 9.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Owen County, Indiana.
How Owen County has changed
Owen County's population had its largest rise, from 17,062 in 1989 to 19,594 in 1994.
Owen County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21,851
High on the chart: 22,190 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Owen County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Owen County doubled to 5,192, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 4,373. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Owen County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,529 | 2024 $68,262 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Owen County's history
1818
December 21, 1818 (authorized) 1819 (organized). Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 21,786. The 2020 Census counted 21,321, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in December 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $1,566,000 in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Owen County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Owen County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Owen County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Owen County ranks 2nd of the six; Clay County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Morgan County, IN | 49 | 9.4% | 23.1% |
| Clay County, IN | 41 | 12.0% | 32.1% |
| Owen County, IN | 37 | 12.2% | 30.0% |
| Monroe County, IN | 35 | 16.8% | 18.0% |
| 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 Owen County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Owen County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 36th 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, Owen County ranks 48th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Owen 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 Owen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.