About one in 11 people in Madison County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Madison County, 8.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 67.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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, Madison County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (217.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people217.5 · 202579th percentile
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- 44.0 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,632 · 202414th percentile
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- 19.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.5% · 2020 to 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest rise, from 14.7% in 2004 to 19.7% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2013 to 13.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.1% 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, Madison County, Ohio.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise, from 37,036 in 1989 to 39,907 in 1994.
Madison County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45,531, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 43,644. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County more than doubled to 24,269, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 24,269. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,054 | 2024 $84,632 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Madison County's history
1982
A tornado in April 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in March 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 43,824, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in February 2024 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 5th of the eight; Fayette County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, OH | 78 | 14.1% | 30.1% |
| Fayette County, OH | 65 | 12.1% | 30.7% |
| Franklin County, OH | 60 | 13.9% | 16.5% |
| Pickaway County, OH | 48 | 9.3% | 22.5% |
| Madison County, OH | 32 | 8.8% | 19.7% |
| Champaign County, OH | 27 | 8.2% | 25.1% |
| Greene County, OH | 21 | 9.9% | 19.1% |
| Union County, OH | 2 | 5.3% | 11.7% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 74th 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, Madison County ranks 61st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.