About three in ten people with a credit file in Allen County, Ohio, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Allen County, 27.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 67% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Allen County's score
In Allen County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 67.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 57.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Allen 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.
Allen County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.9%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($67,677, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people170.6 · 202567th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.7% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 54.0 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 52.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202652nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,677 · 202447th 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 Allen 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 Allen County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Allen County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Allen County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Allen County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Allen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 2010 to 14.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Allen County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.0% 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, Allen County, Ohio.
How Allen County has changed
Allen County's population had its largest drop, from 104,899 in 2014 to 102,477 in 2019.
Allen County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 111,247 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Allen County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Allen County had its largest drop, from 56,032 in 2005 to 49,342 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Allen County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 59,448 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Allen County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,967 | 2024 $67,677 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Allen County's history
1950
A tornado in July 1950 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 112,241. The 2020 Census counted 102,206, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A thunderstorm in June 2006 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Allen County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Allen County beside its neighbors
Allen County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Allen County ranks 2nd of the six; Hardin County is highest, at 28.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, OH | 59 | 14.8% | 26.8% |
| Hardin County, OH | 50 | 14.3% | 28.9% |
| Hancock County, OH | 25 | 9.0% | 17.5% |
| Van Wert County, OH | 21 | 8.9% | 24.5% |
| Auglaize County, OH | 5 | 7.0% | 21.2% |
| Putnam County, OH | 1 | 6.0% | 19.4% |
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 Allen County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Allen County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 18th highest of 88 in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Athens County, at 25.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Allen County ranks 33rd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Allen 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 of Western Ohio (LAWO)
Legal aid
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Ohio Legal Help
Legal help website
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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 Allen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.