About one in four people in Lawrence County, Ohio, has a disability
In Lawrence County, 23.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 79.9. People with a credit card behind: 8.0%, August 2025, higher than in 84% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 79.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.1% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 79.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.1% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people247.7 · 202584th percentile
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- 72.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.1% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 61.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,638 · 202465th percentile
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- 40.2 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lawrence County had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 1979 to 22.6% in 1984.
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.6% in 2012 to 19.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 21.0%
Low on the chart: 16.4% 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, Lawrence County, Ohio.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest rise, from 56,581 in 1969 to 60,063 in 1974.
Lawrence County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 63,209 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County rose by about a quarter to 13,984, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 13,270. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.9% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,390 | 2024 $61,638 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Lawrence County's history
1816
Lawrence County was formed on December 20, 1816, from parts of Gallia and Scioto counties. Wikipedia
1890
Ironton one of world's foremost iron producers between 1850 and 1890, then decline. Wikipedia
1937
Two major floods in 1917 and 1937 caused extensive damage to city and industries. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 63,849. The 2020 Census counted 58,240, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flood in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $4 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
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Since 1978
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lawrence County, in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 5th of the eight; Scioto County is highest, at 37.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 92 | 19.1% | 37.7% |
| Jackson County, OH | 88 | 15.5% | 36.1% |
| Boyd County, KY | 88 | 18.0% | 35.7% |
| Greenup County, KY | 84 | 16.7% | 33.4% |
| Cabell County, WV | 81 | 17.2% | 29.0% |
| Gallia County, OH | 80 | 20.1% | 37.0% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
| Wayne County, WV | 75 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 15th 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, Lawrence County ranks 11th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.