About one in 13 people in Henry County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Henry County, 7.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 44.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry 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.
Henry 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.
- 44.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people149 · 202559th percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 29.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 25.3 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 20.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.3% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,439 · 202442nd 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 Henry 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 Henry County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henry County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henry County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 25.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Henry County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (6.1% in 2009) to 8.5% in 2010.
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 6.1%
Low on the chart: 6.1% 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, Henry County, Ohio.
How Henry County has changed
Henry County's population had its largest rise, from 26,823 in 1969 to 28,439 in 1974.
Henry County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 29,292 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henry County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Henry County had its largest drop, from 11,886 in 2005 to 10,874 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Henry County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 11,886 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.4% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,555 | 2024 $69,439 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Henry County's history
1953
A tornado in June 1953 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 29,210. The 2020 Census counted 27,662, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henry County ranks 3rd of the seven; Defiance County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County, OH | 79 | 16.8% | 25.5% |
| Williams County, OH | 43 | 10.3% | 27.1% |
| Defiance County, OH | 24 | 8.9% | 27.9% |
| Wood County, OH | 23 | 11.0% | 18.2% |
| Fulton County, OH | 20 | 8.3% | 23.5% |
| Henry County, OH | 19 | 7.9% | 25.9% |
| 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 Henry County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 80th 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, Henry County ranks 77th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry 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 Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.