About one in five people in Switzerland County, Indiana, has a disability
In Switzerland County, 21.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Switzerland County's score
In Switzerland County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.5. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 67.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Switzerland 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.
Switzerland County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.6% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability21.7% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance13.0% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,858 · 202458th percentile
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- 67.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.3% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.6 · 202577th percentile
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- 61.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.3% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 54.5 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 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 29.2 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 rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th 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 Switzerland 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 Switzerland 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
Switzerland County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Switzerland County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Switzerland County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Switzerland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.6% in 2010 to 13.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Switzerland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.8% 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, Switzerland County, Indiana.
How Switzerland County has changed
Switzerland County's population had its largest rise, from 8,965 in 1999 to 9,863 in 2004.
Switzerland County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,988
High on the chart: 10,541 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Switzerland County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Switzerland County had its largest rise, from 1,863 in 2000 to 2,338 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Switzerland County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 2,338 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Switzerland County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,254 | 2024 $63,858 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Switzerland County's history
1814
October 1, 1814, partitioned from Dearborn and Jefferson counties. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 11,840. The 2020 Census counted 9,737, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in June 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flood in December 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in September 2022 did $18 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Switzerland County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Switzerland County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Switzerland County, in Indiana and Kentucky, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Switzerland County ranks 4th of the seven; Carroll County is highest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County, KY | 76 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Carroll County, KY | 75 | 17.3% | 30.0% |
| Switzerland County, IN | 61 | 14.3% | 28.3% |
| Ohio County, IN | 55 | 11.3% | 28.6% |
| Jefferson County, IN | 48 | 14.2% | 29.7% |
| Ripley County, IN | 27 | 9.6% | 23.3% |
| Boone County, KY | 23 | 7.5% | 16.0% |
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 Switzerland County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Switzerland County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 17th 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, Switzerland County ranks 16th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Switzerland 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 Switzerland 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 Switzerland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.