About one in four people with a credit file in Clinton County, Ohio, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Clinton County, 25.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 56% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clinton County's score
In Clinton County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 64.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 188.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 71% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clinton 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.
Clinton County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people without health insurance (6.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.1% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people188.4 · 202571st percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 49.0 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,463 · 202447th percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th 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 Clinton 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 Clinton 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
Clinton County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clinton County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Clinton County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2011 to 14.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Clinton 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: 8.4% 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, Clinton County, Ohio.
How Clinton County has changed
Clinton County's population had its largest rise, from 37,309 in 1994 to 40,104 in 1999.
Clinton County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42,019
High on the chart: 42,418 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clinton County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County had its largest drop, from 24,597 in 2005 to 16,234 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 25,163 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clinton County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,839 | 2024 $67,463 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Clinton County's history
1961
A tornado in April 1961 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in March 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 42,040. The 2020 Census counted 42,018, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clinton County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clinton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Clinton County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clinton County ranks 4th of the seven; Highland County is highest, at 31.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, OH | 68 | 15.2% | 30.3% |
| Fayette County, OH | 65 | 12.1% | 30.7% |
| Highland County, OH | 55 | 14.6% | 31.4% |
| Clinton County, OH | 50 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Clermont County, OH | 33 | 8.6% | 20.6% |
| Greene County, OH | 21 | 9.9% | 19.1% |
| 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 Clinton County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Clinton County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 45th 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, Clinton County ranks 39th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clinton 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 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.