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. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Vigo 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.
Vigo County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.2 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 rent26.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th 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
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,173 · 202477th percentile
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- 68.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd 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 Vigo 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 Vigo County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Vigo County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Vigo County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Vigo County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Vigo County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.0% in 2017 to 14.7% in 2018.
The share of households in Vigo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 13.5%
Low on the chart: 11.7% 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, Vigo County, Indiana.
How Vigo County has changed
Vigo County's population had its largest drop, from 114,885 in 1969 to 111,247 in 1974.
Vigo County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 114,885 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Vigo County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Vigo County had its largest rise, from 48,684 in 1990 to 54,215 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Vigo County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 54,215 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Vigo County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,522 | 2024 $57,173 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Vigo County's history
1818
January 21, 1818, from Sullivan County. Wikipedia
1970
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
2006
A tornado in February 2006 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in June 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in June 2024 did $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
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 | 62 | 13.3% | 33.1% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 51 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Parke County, IN | 48 | 13.9% | 29.9% |
| Clay County, IN | 41 | 12.0% | 32.1% |
| Edgar County, IL | 40 | 13.0% | 30.1% |
| 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 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 3rd of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Vigo 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.
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 Vigo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.