About one in nine people in Lorain County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Lorain County, 10.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lorain County's score
In Lorain County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 67.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 32.1. The typical household earns $79,139 a year (2024), more than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lorain 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, Lorain County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (233.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.6% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people233.4 · 202582nd percentile
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- 59.2 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 35.4 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 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd 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)$79,139 · 202421st 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 Lorain 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 Lorain County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lorain County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lorain County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 22.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lorain County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 22.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lorain County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.6% in 2011 to 13.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Lorain County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.7% 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, Lorain County, Ohio.
How Lorain County has changed
Lorain County's population rose by about a quarter to 322,030, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 268,117. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lorain County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lorain County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 106,132 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lorain County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,923 | 2024 $79,139 |
The table uses 4.3% 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 Lorain County's history
1822
Lorain County was established in 1822 from portions of several adjacent counties and became judicially-independent in 1824. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed 17 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
Three major car plant closings in 1970s-1980s led to economic stagnation and joblessness. Wikipedia
2005
A flash flood in July 2005 did $1.2 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $4.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in May 2014 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 312,964, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lorain County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lorain County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lorain County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lorain County ranks 4th of the six; Huron County is highest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 72 | 14.9% | 20.2% |
| Huron County, OH | 54 | 11.7% | 26.9% |
| Erie County, OH | 49 | 13.1% | 24.4% |
| Lorain County, OH | 45 | 10.8% | 22.2% |
| Ashland County, OH | 33 | 11.6% | 25.8% |
| Medina County, OH | 6 | 6.1% | 16.8% |
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 Lorain County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Lorain County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 56th 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, Lorain County ranks 49th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lorain 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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EL Centro de Servicios Sociales (OH)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Lorain County Urban League
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
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 Lorain 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 Lorain County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.