In Carroll County, Ohio, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Carroll County, 17.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 20.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carroll 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, Carroll County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (28.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,614 · 202439th percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people160.7 · 202563rd percentile
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- 36.1 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 behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 20.1 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 rent12.5% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carroll County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Carroll County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 19.4% in 2004 to 27.3% in 2009.
In Carroll County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Carroll County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.3% in 2011 to 10.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.0%
High on the chart: 12.6% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Carroll County, Ohio.
How Carroll County has changed
Carroll County's population rose most sharply from its first year (21,489 in 1969) to 24,018 in 1974.
Carroll County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 29,297 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carroll County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 5,486 in 2010 to 6,823 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 6,858 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carroll County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,234 | 2024 $70,614 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Carroll County's history
1832
Formed December 25, 1832 from portions of Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Stark, and Tuscarawas counties. Wikipedia
1954
A tornado in September 1954 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 28,836. The 2020 Census counted 26,721, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carroll County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Carroll County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carroll County ranks 4th of the six; Jefferson County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, OH | 72 | 17.7% | 33.9% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 69 | 14.7% | 32.4% |
| Harrison County, OH | 66 | 13.8% | 31.2% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 43 | 11.3% | 22.3% |
| Carroll County, OH | 42 | 11.6% | 26.7% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 48th 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, Carroll County ranks 53rd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.