In Hancock County, Ohio, benefit checks make up only 18 cents of every dollar of income
In Hancock County, 17.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 59.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 19.0. About one in 10 children (10.3%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 85% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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.
Hancock County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.9% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people194.1 · 202573rd percentile
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- 43.1 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 behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 34.1 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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- 23.5 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 working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 19.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.3% · 202414th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,864 · 202419th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock 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
Hancock County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 13.6% in 2004 to 19.0% in 2009.
In Hancock County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 17.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Hancock County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2012 to 10.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.0%
Low on the chart: 7.1% 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, Hancock County, Ohio.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population had its largest rise, from 60,280 in 1969 to 63,928 in 1974.
Hancock County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 75,016
High on the chart: 75,143 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 31,333 in 1990 to 37,284 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 44,559 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.2% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,510 | 2024 $80,864 |
The table uses 4.4% 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 Hancock County's history
1828
Established January 21, 1828 from southern portions of Wood County. Wikipedia
1880
During 1880s Findlay was boom center of oil and natural gas production. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in May 1991 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
2007 flood crested 18.46 feet and caused $100 million damage in Findlay. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in May 2011 did $85 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 74,920, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Hancock County, three score higher. Of the group, Hancock County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Seneca County gets the largest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, OH | 59 | 14.8% | 26.8% |
| Hardin County, OH | 50 | 14.3% | 28.9% |
| Seneca County, OH | 47 | 13.0% | 30.5% |
| Hancock County, OH | 25 | 9.0% | 17.5% |
| Wood County, OH | 23 | 11.0% | 18.2% |
| Wyandot County, OH | 16 | 9.4% | 23.0% |
| Putnam County, OH | 1 | 6.0% | 19.4% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 69th 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, Hancock County ranks 68th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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.
Download the CSV for Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.