About one in four people in Jackson County, Ohio, has a disability
In Jackson County, 23.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 81.2. People with a credit card behind: 9.0%, August 2025, higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 77.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.0% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.1% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 77.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.7% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 76.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people211.6 · 202577th percentile
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- 70.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,581 · 202471st percentile
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- 61.1 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (17.6% in 2009) to 19.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 20.0%
Low on the chart: 17.6% 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, Jackson County, Ohio.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 30,173 in 1989 to 31,852 in 1994.
Jackson County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32,723
High on the chart: 33,115 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose most sharply from its first year (8,716 in 1990) to 10,545 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 12,050 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,761 | 2024 $59,581 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Jackson County's history
1865
Iron industry waned as ore deposits cleared and resources exhausted after Civil War. Wikipedia
1888
Coal mining peaked over one million tons in 1888, county second in state. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 34,248. The 2020 Census counted 32,653, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in May 2011 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jackson County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 4th of the seven; Scioto County is highest, at 37.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 92 | 19.1% | 37.7% |
| Pike County, OH | 90 | 19.1% | 35.3% |
| Jackson County, OH | 88 | 15.5% | 36.1% |
| Ross County, OH | 81 | 13.4% | 31.3% |
| Gallia County, OH | 80 | 20.1% | 37.0% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
| Vinton County, OH | 69 | 16.8% | 36.4% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 11th 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, Jackson County ranks 4th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.