Benefit checks make up 34 cents of every dollar of income in Sullivan County, Indiana
In Sullivan County, 33.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sullivan County's score
In Sullivan County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 65.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 236.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 82% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sullivan 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.
Sullivan County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (16.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.8% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people236.1 · 202582nd percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.0% · 202449th percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,119 · 202467th percentile
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- 51.4 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.4% · 2020 to 202423rd 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sullivan County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sullivan County rose most in two steps: 12.6% in 1969 to 17.9% in 1974; 22.0% in 2004 to 27.3% in 2009.
In Sullivan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sullivan County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.7% in 2011 to 16.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 14.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sullivan County, Indiana.
How Sullivan County has changed
Sullivan County's population rose 3% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 21,809 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sullivan County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sullivan County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,632, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,035 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sullivan County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,699 | 2024 $61,119 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Sullivan County's history
1817
January 15, 1817 (created) February 1817 (organized). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 32,439. The 2020 Census counted 20,817, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1925
Sullivan City Mine explosion on February 20, 1925, killed 51 miners. Wikipedia
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Bear Run mine, largest surface mine in eastern U.S., reduced production from 12 million tons to 6.8 million tons annually by 2018. Wikipedia
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $18.16 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sullivan County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sullivan County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sullivan County, in Indiana and Illinois, one scores higher. Of the group, Sullivan County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vigo County, IN | 82 | 18.3% | 30.7% |
| Greene County, IN | 51 | 13.8% | 28.9% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 51 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Knox County, IN | 46 | 11.9% | 31.1% |
| Clay County, IN | 41 | 12.0% | 32.1% |
| Crawford County, IL | 27 | 14.5% | 24.2% |
| Clark County, IL | 27 | 11.0% | 28.8% |
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 Sullivan County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Sullivan County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 18th 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, Sullivan County ranks 31st of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.