About one in 13 people in Tipton County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Tipton County, 7.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tipton County's score
In Tipton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 26.3. Unemployment averaged 3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tipton 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.
Tipton County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people190.1 · 202572nd percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.1% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 31.2 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 rent10.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.9% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,684 · 202434th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st 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 Tipton 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 Tipton County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tipton County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tipton County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Tipton County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tipton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.5% in 2012 to 9.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Tipton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 6.7%
Low on the chart: 4.9% 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, Tipton County, Indiana.
How Tipton County has changed
Tipton County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 16,906 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tipton County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Tipton County had its largest rise, from 4,376 in 2015 to 5,030 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Tipton County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 5,030 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tipton County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,414 | 2024 $72,684 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Tipton County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 19,116. The 2020 Census counted 15,359, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1953
A tornado in April 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in June 1980 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $5.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tipton County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tipton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Tipton County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tipton County ranks 4th of the six; Grant County is highest, at 35.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, IN | 82 | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| Howard County, IN | 80 | 13.6% | 30.5% |
| Madison County, IN | 76 | 14.6% | 30.5% |
| Clinton County, IN | 30 | 12.6% | 26.0% |
| Tipton County, IN | 24 | 7.8% | 26.7% |
| Hamilton County, IN | 2 | 4.7% | 8.5% |
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 Tipton County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Tipton County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 85th 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, Tipton County ranks 70th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tipton 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 Tipton 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 Tipton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.