In Hamilton County, Ohio, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Hamilton County, 23.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hamilton County's score
In Hamilton County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.2. About one in four renters (24.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 84% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 73.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hamilton 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.
Hamilton County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.1%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.2 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 rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
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- 73.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.0% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people216.9 · 202578th percentile
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- 59.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,166 · 202432nd percentile
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- 33.6 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 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hamilton County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hamilton County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 13.7% in 2004 to 17.8% in 2009.
In Hamilton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Hamilton County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.2% in 2010 to 13.2% in 2012, 1.5 points each year.
The share of households in Hamilton 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: 9.0% 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, Hamilton County, Ohio.
How Hamilton County has changed
Hamilton County's population had its largest drop, from 849,917 in 1999 to 817,306 in 2004.
Hamilton County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 917,955 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hamilton County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 538,866 in 2005 to 483,074 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County fell 9% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 567,965 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hamilton County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,714 | 2024 $73,166 |
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 Hamilton County's history
1969
A tornado in August 1969 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 924,018. The 2020 Census counted 830,639, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in April 1999 did $82 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in July 2001 did $3.57 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hamilton County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hamilton County beside its neighbors
Hamilton County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hamilton County ranks 5th of the eight; Dearborn County is highest, at 22.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, OH | 61 | 14.2% | 16.5% |
| Butler County, OH | 49 | 13.0% | 20.1% |
| Kenton County, KY | 40 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Campbell County, KY | 36 | 11.3% | 18.7% |
| Clermont County, OH | 33 | 8.6% | 20.6% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 25 | 8.6% | 22.0% |
| Boone County, KY | 23 | 7.5% | 16.0% |
| 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 Hamilton County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 24th 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, Hamilton County ranks 28th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hamilton 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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Home Ownership Center of Greater Cincinnati
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Working in Neighborhoods
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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.