About one in 13 people in Holmes County, Ohio, has a disability
In Holmes County, 8.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Holmes County's score
In Holmes County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 8.2. About one in nine people with a credit file (11.2%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Holmes 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, Holmes County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (41.5%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (29.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.1% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 30.9 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 disability8.0% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance41.5% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,621 · 202424th percentile
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- 15.0 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 rent13.6% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.5% · fiscal year 20274th percentile
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- 9.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · second quarter of 20263rd percentile
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- 8.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.2% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.8 · 202510th 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 Holmes 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 Holmes County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Holmes County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Holmes County had its largest drop, from 17.3% in 2009 to 12.9% in 2014.
In Holmes County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 11.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Holmes County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Holmes County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.2% in 2009 to 5.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Holmes County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 3.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Holmes County, Ohio.
How Holmes County has changed
Holmes County's population had its largest rise, from 22,903 in 1969 to 26,617 in 1974.
Holmes County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44,668, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 44,221. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Holmes County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Holmes County doubled to 21,972, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 13,840. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Holmes County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,437 | 2024 $77,621 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Holmes County's history
1824
Formed January 20, 1824 from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in June 2004 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in July 2006 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 44,223, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Holmes County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Holmes County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Holmes County score higher than it does. Of the group, Holmes County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Coshocton County gets the largest, at 32.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coshocton County, OH | 63 | 11.6% | 32.3% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 43 | 11.3% | 22.3% |
| Ashland County, OH | 33 | 11.6% | 25.8% |
| Knox County, OH | 28 | 10.7% | 25.2% |
| Wayne County, OH | 23 | 11.3% | 19.7% |
| Holmes County, OH | 7 | 9.0% | 11.7% |
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 Holmes County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Holmes 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, Holmes County ranks 81st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Holmes 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 Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO)
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 Holmes 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 Holmes County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.