In Posey County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Posey County, 16.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Posey County's score
In Posey County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 43.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.8. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Posey 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, Posey County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 43.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.6% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people151.8 · 202560th percentile
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- 24.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 16.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.6% · 202412th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance3.2% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,600 · 202417th percentile
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- 11.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.0% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Posey 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 Posey County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Posey County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Posey County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Posey County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Posey County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 5.6% in 2023 to 7.0% in 2024.
The share of households in Posey County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Posey County, Indiana.
How Posey County has changed
Posey County's population rose 17% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 26,924 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Posey County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Posey County rose most sharply from its first year (7,908 in 1990) to 8,661 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Posey County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 9,410 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Posey County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 8.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,380 | 2024 $81,600 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Posey County's history
1814
Organized November 1814 from Gibson and Warrick counties. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 27,061. The 2020 Census counted 25,222, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
Hail in April 2002 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in January 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in July 2024 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Posey County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Posey County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Posey County, in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, score higher than it does. Of the group, Posey County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Gallatin County gets the largest, at 36.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, KY | 70 | 18.2% | 34.9% |
| Henderson County, KY | 63 | 15.7% | 28.2% |
| Vanderburgh County, IN | 57 | 12.8% | 24.5% |
| Gallatin County, IL | 48 | 17.5% | 36.3% |
| White County, IL | 46 | 14.2% | 28.5% |
| Gibson County, IN | 21 | 10.3% | 23.8% |
| Posey County, IN | 13 | 8.6% | 22.9% |
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 Posey County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Posey County's poverty rate was 8.6% in 2024, 76th 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, Posey County ranks 85th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Posey 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 Posey County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.