About one in 11 people in Licking County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Licking County, 9.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Licking County's score
In Licking County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 22.9. The typical household earns $86,157 a year (2024), more than in 86% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Licking 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.
Licking 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.
- 65.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 55.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.1 · 202565th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,157 · 202413th 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 Licking 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 Licking County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Licking County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Licking County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Licking County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Licking County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.6% in 2017 to 11.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Licking County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.9%
Low on the chart: 10.8% 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, Licking County, Ohio.
How Licking County has changed
Licking County's population had its largest rise, from 143,697 in 1999 to 155,264 in 2004.
Licking County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 184,898, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 126,738. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Licking County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Licking County nearly doubled to 75,544, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 68,244. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Licking County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,335 | 2024 $86,157 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Licking County's history
1808
Licking County was formed on January 30, 1808, from portions of Fairfield County. Wikipedia
1978
Weiant Greenhouses closed after destructive storm in 1978, one of largest in Ohio. Wikipedia
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in September 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in October 2006 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in August 2010 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 178,519, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Licking County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Licking County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Licking County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Licking County ranks 5th of the eight; Coshocton County is highest, at 32.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coshocton County, OH | 63 | 11.6% | 32.3% |
| Perry County, OH | 61 | 13.7% | 30.6% |
| Franklin County, OH | 60 | 13.9% | 16.5% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 60 | 13.0% | 29.5% |
| Licking County, OH | 39 | 9.2% | 19.9% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 31 | 8.1% | 18.8% |
| Knox County, OH | 28 | 10.7% | 25.2% |
| Delaware County, OH | 1 | 4.3% | 9.3% |
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 Licking County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Licking County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 68th 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, Licking County ranks 56th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Licking 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 Licking 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 Licking County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.