Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Ohio County, Kentucky
In Ohio County, 38.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ohio County's score
In Ohio County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.0. Unemployment averaged 5.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 71.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ohio 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.
Ohio County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.3% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 71.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people207.4 · 202576th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.2% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 60.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability20.0% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,028 · 202473rd percentile
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- 32.4 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 rent16.2% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Ohio 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 Ohio County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ohio County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ohio County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Ohio County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ohio County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.8% in 2017 to 14.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Ohio County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.7% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ohio County, Kentucky.
How Ohio County has changed
Ohio County's population rose 28% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 22,138. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ohio County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County had its largest rise, from 5,241 in 1995 to 6,162 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 7,304
High on the chart: 7,476 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ohio County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.1% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,436 | 2024 $59,028 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Ohio County's history
1864
Hartford courthouse burned by Confederate Gen. Hylan B. Lyon December 20, 1864. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 27,642. The 2020 Census counted 23,772, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
A tornado in April 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flood in February 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ohio County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ohio County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Ohio County, four score higher. Of the group, Ohio County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 84 | 19.1% | 37.6% |
| Grayson County, KY | 79 | 22.4% | 36.5% |
| Butler County, KY | 78 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 73 | 18.3% | 35.6% |
| Ohio County, KY | 70 | 15.3% | 38.6% |
| McLean County, KY | 64 | 15.8% | 33.1% |
| Daviess County, KY | 46 | 14.2% | 28.8% |
| Hancock County, KY | 37 | 12.5% | 24.1% |
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 Ohio County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Ohio County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 76th highest of 120 in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McCreary County, at 36.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Ohio County ranks 75th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ohio 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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Kentucky Legal Aid
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 Ohio County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.