In Spencer County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Spencer County, 15.9% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Spencer County's score
In Spencer County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 48.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 10.3. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 15.9% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Spencer County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (221, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Spencer County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 48.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221 · 202579th percentile
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- 25.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,789 · 202425th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score18.6% · Q4 202528th percentile
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- 11.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202612th percentile
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- 10.3 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.9% · fiscal year 20276th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Spencer County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Spencer County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Spencer County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 25 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Spencer County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 25 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Spencer County, Indiana: 24.5% and 61.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 24.5% of all personal income in Spencer County, Indiana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Spencer County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Spencer County has changed
The number of people living in Spencer County grew by about 18% between 1969 and 2024, from 17,050 to 20,192. The number of jobs located there grew by about 18% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,050 | 2024 20,192 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,902 | 2024 6,990 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $27,609 | 2024 $76,789 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.8% | 2024 24.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Spencer County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 22,407. The 2020 Census counted 19,810, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
Flash flood: $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Cleveland-Cliffs Rockport Works reported by EPA in 2013 as source of 70% of pollution in Ohio River. Wikipedia
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Since 1979
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Spencer County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Spencer County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Spencer County, in Indiana and Kentucky, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Spencer County ranks 3rd of the six; Perry County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daviess County, KY | 45 | 14.2% | 28.8% |
| Perry County, IN | 39 | 13.9% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, KY | 39 | 12.5% | 24.1% |
| Warrick County, IN | 15 | 6.6% | 18.6% |
| Spencer County, IN | 7 | 10.4% | 24.5% |
| Dubois County, IN | 5 | 7.7% | 18.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Spencer County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Spencer County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 57th 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, Spencer County ranks 89th of 92 in the state.
Spencer County in photographs
Places in Spencer County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Western and southern sides of the Spencer County Courthouse, located on Courthouse Square in Rockport, Indiana, United States.
Spencer County, Indiana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Spencer County, Indiana?
10.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 13.6%.
Is Spencer County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Spencer County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 57th 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, Spencer County ranks 89th of 92 in the state.
What is the population of Spencer County, Indiana?
About 20,192 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 19,810, 88% of the county's peak of 22,407 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Spencer County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Spencer County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Spencer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.