Unemployment in Perry County, Indiana, is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Perry County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Perry County's score
In Perry County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Perry 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.
Perry County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.5% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,109 · 202457th percentile
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- 50.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people166.6 · 202565th percentile
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- 48.3 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 42.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 29.1 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 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st 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 Perry 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 Perry County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Perry County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Perry County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Perry County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Perry County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 5.9% in 2009 to 7.3% in 2010; 8.9% in 2023 to 10.3% in 2024.
The share of households in Perry County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.3%
High on the chart: 10.8% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Perry County, Indiana.
How Perry County has changed
Perry County's population had its largest rise, from 18,919 in 1969 to 19,255 in 1974.
Perry County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 19,432 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Perry County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Perry County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,307, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 6,479 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Perry County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,335 | 2024 $64,109 |
The table uses 3.4% 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 Perry County's history
1814
Formed November 1, 1814, two years before Indiana statehood, from Warrick and Gibson counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $250 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 19,346. The 2020 Census counted 19,170, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A flash flood in May 2006 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Perry County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Perry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Perry County, in Indiana and Kentucky, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Perry County ranks 3rd of the seven; Crawford County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breckinridge County, KY | 73 | 18.3% | 35.6% |
| Crawford County, IN | 69 | 16.4% | 36.0% |
| Meade County, KY | 47 | 9.8% | 23.3% |
| Perry County, IN | 40 | 13.9% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, KY | 37 | 12.5% | 24.1% |
| Spencer County, IN | 6 | 10.4% | 24.5% |
| 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 Perry County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Perry County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 20th 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, Perry County ranks 45th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Perry 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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Lincoln Hills Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Perry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.