In St. Joseph County, Indiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In St. Joseph County, 23.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Joseph County's score
In St. Joseph County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 77.6. About one in four renters (23.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 66.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Joseph 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.
St. Joseph County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.4%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 66.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people219.5 · 202579th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,573 · 202456th percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, 16.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Joseph County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Joseph County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Joseph County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Joseph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2010 to 11.6% in 2011.
The share of households in St. Joseph County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.2% 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, St. Joseph County, Indiana.
How St. Joseph County has changed
St. Joseph County's population had its largest rise, from 246,137 in 1989 to 257,794 in 1994.
St. Joseph County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 273,744 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Joseph County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in St. Joseph County rose 8% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 129,573 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Joseph County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,523 | 2024 $64,573 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 St. Joseph County's history
1830
1830, named for the St. Joseph River. Wikipedia
1963
Studebaker closed its automotive manufacturing plants in South Bend in December 1963. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A thunderstorm in August 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in October 2001 did $3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in September 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 272,912, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Joseph County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Joseph County beside its neighbors
St. Joseph County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Indiana and Michigan. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Joseph County ranks 6th of the seven; Starke County is highest, at 35.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, IN | 63 | 15.4% | 22.1% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 63 | 13.6% | 26.3% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 56 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Starke County, IN | 56 | 11.2% | 35.7% |
| Berrien County, MI | 53 | 13.4% | 24.8% |
| Cass County, MI | 46 | 12.7% | 24.2% |
| Marshall County, IN | 27 | 12.1% | 23.3% |
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 St. Joseph County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, St. Joseph County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 11th 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, St. Joseph County ranks 12th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.