About one in eight people in Butler County, Ohio, has a disability
In Butler County, 12.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Butler County's score
In Butler County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 32.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Butler 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.
Even so, Butler County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.5 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.1% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people153.9 · 202561st percentile
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- 45.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,560 · 202419th 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 Butler 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 Butler County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Butler County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Butler County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Butler County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Butler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Butler 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: 9.1% 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, Butler County, Ohio.
How Butler County has changed
Butler County's population had its largest rise, from 286,469 in 1989 to 314,626 in 1994.
Butler County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 399,542, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 376,005. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Butler County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Butler County had its largest rise, from 104,425 in 1995 to 126,406 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Butler County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 163,638, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 137,975. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Butler County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,485 | 2024 $80,560 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Butler County's history
1803
Formed March 24, 1803 from portions of Hamilton County. Wikipedia
1913
Great Flood of 1913 with deaths. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in May 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in April 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 390,357, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Butler County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Butler County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Butler County, in Ohio and Indiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Butler County ranks 5th of the seven; Union County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, OH | 71 | 14.4% | 23.9% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 61 | 14.2% | 16.5% |
| Butler County, OH | 49 | 13.0% | 20.1% |
| Preble County, OH | 33 | 10.4% | 27.6% |
| Union County, IN | 23 | 11.3% | 29.3% |
| Franklin County, IN | 12 | 8.6% | 24.6% |
| Warren County, OH | 7 | 6.6% | 12.8% |
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 Butler County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Butler County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 40th 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, Butler County ranks 42nd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Butler 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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Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati
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 Butler 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 Butler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.