Meigs County, Ohio

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.3 | 21,767 people · 5th most distressed in Ohio
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Meigs County, OH shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.3 — 298th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Ohio, it ranks 5th of 88 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Meigs County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.8 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.8
Poverty Rate 88
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 90
Employment & Wages 84.5
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 71
Business Formation Rate 89
Community Vulnerability 65.2
Uninsured Rate 41
Disability Rate 89
Debt & Delinquency 57.1
Debt in Collections 57
Medical Debt 30
Student Loan Delinquency 60
Auto Loan Delinquency 51
Credit Card Delinquency 72
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 73
Housing Cost Burden 43.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 35
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 36
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 34
Homeownership Rate 45
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Meigs County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Meigs County
Meigs County, OH 68.3 Serious —
Athens County, OH 64.3 Elevated -4.0
Gallia County, OH 64.0 Elevated -4.3
Vinton County, OH 63.4 Elevated -4.9
Jackson County, WV 53.1 Elevated -15.2
Wood County, WV 51.8 Elevated -16.5
Mason County, WV 50.4 Elevated -17.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Meigs County
Houston County, TX 68.3 Serious +0.0
St. Bernard Parish, LA 68.3 Serious -0.0
Chesterfield County, SC 68.3 Serious +0.0
Mingo County, WV 68.3 Serious +0.1
Polk County, GA 68.2 Serious -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Meigs County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Meigs County

Find an Attorney

Ohio State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Ohio State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-282-6556

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Meigs County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Society of Cleveland 216-687-1900
Columbus Legal Aid Society 614-224-8374
Community Legal Aid (Akron/Canton) 330-535-4191
Ohio Legal Help
Ohio State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-282-6556
Community Legal Aid Services, Inc. (800) 998-9454
Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati (513) 241-9400
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (614) 221-7201
Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (888) 534-1432
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (216) 687-1900

Self-Help Resources

Ohio Legal Help — Foreclosure Self-help guides for Ohio foreclosure process and defenses
OHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Ohio →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Meigs County, Ohio?

    Meigs County has a County Distress Index score of 68.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 298th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 5th in Ohio out of 88 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Meigs County?

    The primary driver of distress in Meigs County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Meigs County compare to neighboring counties?

    Meigs County (68.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Athens County, OH (64.3); Gallia County, OH (64.0); Vinton County, OH (63.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Meigs County?

    Meigs County, Ohio has a population of approximately 21,767 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.