In Putnam County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Putnam County, 15.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 60.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 7.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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, Putnam County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (210.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people210.3 · 202577th percentile
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- 45.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 25.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,859 · 202420th percentile
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- 21.6 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 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 7.5 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 rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.9% · fiscal year 20276th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.3% in 2019 to 6.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Putnam County, Indiana.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population had its largest rise, from 29,890 in 1989 to 32,814 in 1994.
Putnam County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 38,052 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,562, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 12,863 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,919 | 2024 $79,859 |
The table uses 3.6% 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 Putnam County's history
1821
December 31, 1821 (created) April 1822 (organized). Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in June 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in September 2003 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 37,963. The 2020 Census counted 36,726, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1990
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Putnam County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 5th of the seven; Clay County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, IN | 49 | 9.4% | 23.1% |
| Parke County, IN | 48 | 13.9% | 29.9% |
| Clay County, IN | 41 | 12.0% | 32.1% |
| Owen County, IN | 37 | 12.2% | 30.0% |
| Montgomery County, IN | 36 | 10.3% | 26.0% |
| Hendricks County, IN | 20 | 5.6% | 14.5% |
| 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 Putnam County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 52nd 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, Putnam County ranks 79th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.