About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Erie County, Ohio, have a job
In Erie County, 16.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Erie County's score
In Erie County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 39.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 4.2%, August 2025, lower than in 65% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Erie 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, Erie County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (208, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.3% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208 · 202576th percentile
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- 60.9 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202745th percentile
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- 43.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,400 · 202434th percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.2% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 39.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.8% · second quarter of 202648th 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 Erie 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 Erie County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Erie County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Erie County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Erie County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Erie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2010 to 12.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Erie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.6% 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, Erie County, Ohio.
How Erie County has changed
Erie County's population had its largest rise, from 75,397 in 1969 to 78,084 in 1974.
Erie County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 79,513 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Erie County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Erie County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 36,848 in 2015 to 32,928 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Erie County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 40,197 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Erie County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,389 | 2024 $72,400 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Erie County's history
1838
Formed in 1838 from northern third of Huron County and portion of Sandusky County. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in June 1953 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 79,655. The 2020 Census counted 75,622, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A tornado in July 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $24.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in August 2023 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Erie County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Erie County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Erie County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Erie County ranks 3rd of the four; Sandusky County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron County, OH | 54 | 11.7% | 26.9% |
| Erie County, OH | 49 | 13.1% | 24.4% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 48 | 13.3% | 27.3% |
| Lorain County, OH | 45 | 10.8% | 22.2% |
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 Erie County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Erie County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 39th 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, Erie County ranks 41st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Erie 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 Western Ohio (LAWO)
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.
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 Erie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.