About one in 10 people in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, has a disability
In Tippecanoe County, 9.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tippecanoe County's score
In Tippecanoe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.4. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tippecanoe 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, Tippecanoe County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.0 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 rent27.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.2% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.8 · 202547th percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.8% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability9.6% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,036 · 202446th percentile
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- 22.4 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 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.3% · 2020 to 202428th 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 Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County, 12.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tippecanoe County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tippecanoe County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Tippecanoe County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tippecanoe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.7% in 2018 to 7.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Tippecanoe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
How Tippecanoe County has changed
Tippecanoe County's population had its largest rise, from 155,832 in 2004 to 171,937 in 2009.
Tippecanoe County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 191,650, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 124,819. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Tippecanoe County rose by about half to 91,936, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 91,936. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,320 | 2024 $68,036 |
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 Tippecanoe County's history
1976
A tornado in March 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A tornado in April 1994 did $5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in June 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 186,251, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tippecanoe County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tippecanoe County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Tippecanoe County, one scores higher. Of the group, Tippecanoe County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Fountain County gets the largest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, IN | 52 | 9.8% | 24.6% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 42 | 16.8% | 17.8% |
| Montgomery County, IN | 36 | 10.3% | 26.0% |
| White County, IN | 33 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Clinton County, IN | 30 | 12.6% | 26.0% |
| Fountain County, IN | 22 | 11.4% | 29.7% |
| Carroll County, IN | 18 | 9.0% | 21.8% |
| Warren County, IN | 11 | 8.4% | 22.9% |
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 Tippecanoe County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Tippecanoe County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 5th 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, Tippecanoe County ranks 43rd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tippecanoe 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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Legal Aid Corporation of Tippecanoe County
Legal aid
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
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 Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.