About one in six people in Vigo County, Indiana, lives below the poverty line
In Vigo County, 18.3% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Vigo County's score
In Vigo County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.2. About one in four renters (26.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 75.3.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Vigo County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, 12-month average (3.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Vigo County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 85.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 75.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people228.9 · 202581st percentile
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- 69.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,173 · 202477th percentile
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 69.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · Q4 202570th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202632nd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Vigo County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Vigo County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Vigo County in 2024, pay from work was 52 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 18 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Vigo County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Vigo County, Indiana: 30.7% and 51.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.7% of all personal income in Vigo County, Indiana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Vigo County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Vigo County has changed
The number of people living in Vigo County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 114,885 to 106,166. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.8% in 1990 to 3.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 114,885 | 2024 106,166 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 48,684 | 2024 46,144 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,522 | 2024 $57,173 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.2% | 2024 30.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Vigo County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 114,528. The 2020 Census counted 106,153, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1818
January 21, 1818, from Sullivan County. Wikipedia
2006
Tornado: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flood: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Thunderstorm wind: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Thunderstorm wind: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Vigo County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Vigo County beside its neighbors
Vigo County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Indiana and Illinois. For the share of income from benefit checks, Vigo County ranks 4th of the seven; Sullivan County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vigo County, IN | 82 | 18.3% | 30.7% |
| Vermillion County, IN | 61 | 13.3% | 33.1% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 50 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Parke County, IN | 47 | 13.9% | 29.9% |
| Clay County, IN | 41 | 12.0% | 32.1% |
| Edgar County, IL | 38 | 13.0% | 30.1% |
| Clark County, IL | 26 | 11.0% | 28.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Vigo County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Vigo County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, 2nd 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, Vigo County ranks 4th of 92 in the state.
Vigo County in photographs
Places in Vigo County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Team from honey creek middle school, Terre Haute, in, building their model solar car.
Vigo County, Indiana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Vigo County, Indiana?
18.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 20.4%.
Is Vigo County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Vigo County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, 2nd 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, Vigo County ranks 4th of 92 in the state.
What is the population of Vigo County, Indiana?
About 106,166 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 106,153, 93% of the county's peak of 114,528 in 1970.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Vigo County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Vigo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.