About one in four people in Athens County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Athens County, 25.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Athens County's score
In Athens County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.8. About three in ten renters (30.2%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 70.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Athens 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.
Athens County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 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 rent30.2% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.3% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.3% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,806 · 202482nd percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people100.5 · 202536th percentile
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- 42.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.4% · second quarter of 202654th 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 Athens 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 Athens County, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Athens County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Athens County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Athens County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Athens County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2010 to 19.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Athens County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2020 to 2021, reaching 15.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Athens County, Ohio.
How Athens County has changed
Athens County's population had its largest rise, from 49,183 in 1969 to 53,964 in 1974.
Athens County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 64,618 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Athens County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Athens County rose by about a quarter to 21,434, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 21,434. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Athens County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.3% | 2024 25.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,921 | 2024 $54,806 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Athens County's history
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 64,757. The 2020 Census counted 62,431, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A thunderstorm in September 2010 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in May 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Athens County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Athens County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Athens County, in Ohio and West Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Athens County ranks 6th of the eight; Vinton County is highest, at 36.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meigs County, OH | 79 | 14.9% | 35.9% |
| Athens County, OH | 72 | 25.3% | 29.0% |
| Vinton County, OH | 69 | 16.8% | 36.4% |
| Perry County, OH | 61 | 13.7% | 30.6% |
| Hocking County, OH | 60 | 13.2% | 33.0% |
| Morgan County, OH | 58 | 14.8% | 33.7% |
| Wood County, WV | 58 | 15.5% | 27.8% |
| Washington County, OH | 47 | 13.8% | 27.1% |
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 Athens County the poorest county in Ohio?
Yes, Athens County's poverty rate was 25.3% in 2024, the highest of 88 counties in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Athens County ranks 17th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Athens 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 Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO)
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.
Download the CSV for Athens 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 Athens County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.