Benefit checks make up 32 cents of every dollar of income in Columbiana County, Ohio
In Columbiana County, 32.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbiana County's score
In Columbiana County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 73.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 269.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 63.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbiana 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.
Columbiana County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (7.1%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.5% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people269.5 · 202587th percentile
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- 63.6 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 rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.8% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,141 · 202472nd percentile
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- 54.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 52.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Columbiana 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 Columbiana County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbiana County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Columbiana County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 32.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Columbiana County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbiana County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 2011 to 15.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Columbiana County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 15.2%
Low on the chart: 12.1% 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, Columbiana County, Ohio.
How Columbiana County has changed
Columbiana County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 113,842 in 1979 to 109,992 in 1984.
Columbiana County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 113,842 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbiana County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Columbiana County had its largest drop, from 32,241 in 2005 to 28,980 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Columbiana County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 34,812 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbiana County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,748 | 2024 $59,141 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Columbiana County's history
1978
A tornado in October 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 113,572. The 2020 Census counted 101,877, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in August 2004 did $3.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in October 2024 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbiana County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Columbiana County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Columbiana County, in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbiana County ranks 2nd of the eight; Jefferson County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning County, OH | 81 | 19.3% | 29.1% |
| Hancock County, WV | 75 | 13.6% | 31.6% |
| Jefferson County, OH | 72 | 17.7% | 33.9% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 69 | 14.7% | 32.4% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 59 | 14.3% | 30.7% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| 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 Columbiana County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Columbiana County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 20th 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, Columbiana County ranks 19th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbiana 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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Community Legal Aid (Akron/Canton)
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 Columbiana 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 Columbiana County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.