About one in five people in Randolph County, Indiana, has a disability
In Randolph County, 20.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 65.6. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 62.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Randolph 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.
Randolph County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.0% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability20.1% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,925 · 202461st percentile
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- 62.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people239.5 · 202583rd percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 52.8 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 40.9 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 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Randolph County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Randolph County had its largest rise, from 20.0% in 2004 to 28.4% in 2009.
In Randolph County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 28.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Randolph County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2023 high, from 13.6% in 2022 to 15.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.0%
High on the chart: 15.3% 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, Randolph County, Indiana.
How Randolph County has changed
Randolph County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 30,122 in 1979 to 28,673 in 1984.
Randolph County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 30,122 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Randolph County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County had its largest drop, from 7,471 in 2015 to 6,265 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County fell 16% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 6,265 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Randolph County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,642 | 2024 $62,925 |
The table uses 3.8% 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 Randolph County's history
1818
Authorized January 1818; took effect August 1818. Wikipedia
1845
County had three distinct settlements developed by free African Americans by 1845, with about 500 people of color. Wikipedia
1846
Union Literary Institute founded in 1846 by Quakers and free people of color in Greenville Settlement. Wikipedia
1880
County's population growth slowed after 1880 leading to rural decline problems in early twentieth century. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 29,997. The 2020 Census counted 24,502, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in March 1986 did $25 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
2024
A tornado in March 2024 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Randolph County, in Indiana and Ohio, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Randolph County ranks 4th of the six; Henry County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, IN | 85 | 20.5% | 31.9% |
| Wayne County, IN | 84 | 18.3% | 31.8% |
| Jay County, IN | 62 | 14.7% | 26.2% |
| Randolph County, IN | 58 | 15.8% | 28.7% |
| Henry County, IN | 50 | 14.5% | 32.1% |
| Darke County, OH | 27 | 11.6% | 22.8% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 9th 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, Randolph County ranks 19th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Randolph 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.