Unemployment in Lucas County, Ohio, is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties
In Lucas County, 4.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lucas County's score
In Lucas County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 81.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 279.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lucas 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.
Lucas County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (15.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.4% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people279.9 · 202588th percentile
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- 71.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.4% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 65.7 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 rent22.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
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- 64.5 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 working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 54.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,774 · 202458th 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lucas County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lucas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lucas County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lucas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2011 to 18.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Lucas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 14.1% 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, Lucas County, Ohio.
How Lucas County has changed
Lucas County's population fell most sharply after its 1974 high, from 486,012 in 1974 to 471,534 in 1979.
Lucas County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 486,012 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lucas County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Lucas County had its largest drop, from 225,740 in 2005 to 197,922 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Lucas County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 238,579 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lucas County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,852 | 2024 $63,774 |
The table uses 6.0% 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 Lucas County's history
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed 16 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 484,370. The 2020 Census counted 431,279, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A thunderstorm in June 1990 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $42 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in July 2019 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lucas County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lucas County beside its neighbors
Lucas County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Ohio and Michigan. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lucas County ranks 3rd of the seven; Lenawee County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County, OH | 79 | 16.8% | 25.5% |
| Monroe County, MI | 47 | 9.7% | 22.0% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 46 | 9.6% | 27.7% |
| Wood County, OH | 23 | 11.0% | 18.2% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 23 | 9.3% | 25.4% |
| Fulton County, OH | 20 | 8.3% | 23.5% |
| Henry County, OH | 19 | 7.9% | 25.9% |
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 Lucas County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Lucas County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 8th 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, Lucas County ranks 8th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lucas 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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Neighborhood Housing Services of Toledo, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Nid Lucas County
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO)
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.
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 Lucas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.