Unemployment in Ripley County, Indiana, is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Ripley County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ripley County's score
In Ripley County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 55.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ripley 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.
Ripley 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.
- 55.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.0% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people191.6 · 202572nd percentile
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- 45.9 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 33.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,676 · 202439th percentile
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- 22.1 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 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Ripley 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 Ripley County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ripley County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ripley County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Ripley County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ripley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2019 to 8.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Ripley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 7.3%
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Ripley County, Indiana.
How Ripley County has changed
Ripley County's population rose 38% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 22,930. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ripley County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Ripley County had its largest drop, from 14,042 in 2005 to 12,330 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Ripley County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 14,042 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ripley County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,355 | 2024 $70,676 |
The table uses 3.4% 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 Ripley County's history
1816
Formed December 27, 1816. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in April 1999 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in March 2012 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 28,995, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ripley County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ripley County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Ripley County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ripley County ranks 7th of the eight; Jennings County is highest, at 34.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland County, IN | 61 | 14.3% | 28.3% |
| Jennings County, IN | 56 | 13.1% | 34.0% |
| Ohio County, IN | 55 | 11.3% | 28.6% |
| Jefferson County, IN | 48 | 14.2% | 29.7% |
| Decatur County, IN | 34 | 10.4% | 24.4% |
| Ripley County, IN | 27 | 9.6% | 23.3% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 25 | 8.6% | 22.0% |
| Franklin County, IN | 12 | 8.6% | 24.6% |
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 Ripley County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Ripley County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 67th 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, Ripley County ranks 63rd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ripley 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 Ripley 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 Ripley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.