Unemployment in Rush County, Indiana, is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties
In Rush County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rush County's score
In Rush County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 79.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 28.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rush 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, Rush County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (243.4, 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (30.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people243.4 · 202584th percentile
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- 52.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 43.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,985 · 202449th percentile
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- 38.5 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 rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 28.7 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 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th 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 Rush 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 Rush 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
Rush County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rush County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Rush County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rush County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 10.3% in 2018 to 8.7% in 2019.
The share of households in Rush County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rush County, Indiana.
How Rush County has changed
Rush County's population had its largest drop, from 19,732 in 1979 to 18,762 in 1984.
Rush County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 20,537 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rush County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Rush County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 5,376 in 2005 to 4,588 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Rush County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 5,773 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rush County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,211 | 2024 $66,985 |
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 Rush County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 20,393. The 2020 Census counted 16,752, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in July 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rush County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rush County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Rush County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rush County ranks 3rd of the seven; Fayette County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, IN | 81 | 16.2% | 38.6% |
| Henry County, IN | 50 | 14.5% | 32.1% |
| Shelby County, IN | 49 | 10.9% | 25.0% |
| Rush County, IN | 47 | 11.4% | 25.6% |
| Decatur County, IN | 34 | 10.4% | 24.4% |
| Hancock County, IN | 12 | 5.8% | 17.5% |
| 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 Rush County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Rush County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 45th 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, Rush County ranks 39th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rush 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 Rush County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.