About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Meigs County, Ohio, is not working
In Meigs County, 34.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Meigs County's score
In Meigs County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 69.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Meigs 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.
Meigs County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (6.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 69.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability22.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,483 · 202483rd percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people193 · 202572nd percentile
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- 62.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.0% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 46.4 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 rent14.6% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd 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 Meigs 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 Meigs County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Meigs County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Meigs County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 35.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Meigs County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Meigs County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 23.2% in 2013 to 25.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Meigs County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25.1%
High on the chart: 26.1% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Meigs County, Ohio.
How Meigs County has changed
Meigs County's population had its largest rise, from 21,309 in 1974 to 22,942 in 1979.
Meigs County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 23,770 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Meigs County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Meigs County fell 28% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 4,937 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Meigs County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 7.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.6% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,426 | 2024 $54,483 |
The table uses 7.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Meigs County's history
1819
Meigs County, Ohio was officially established on April 1, 1819 (after authorization by the state government on January 21, 1819) from parts of Gallia and Athens counties. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 28,620. The 2020 Census counted 22,210, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1930
After 1920s strikes and 1930s depression, coal and salt businesses began to wane. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in September 2010 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in February 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Meigs County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Meigs County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Meigs County, in Ohio and West Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Meigs County ranks 4th of the seven; Gallia County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallia County, OH | 80 | 20.1% | 37.0% |
| Meigs County, OH | 79 | 14.9% | 35.9% |
| Athens County, OH | 72 | 25.3% | 29.0% |
| Vinton County, OH | 69 | 16.8% | 36.4% |
| Jackson County, WV | 69 | 17.5% | 31.1% |
| Mason County, WV | 61 | 16.3% | 36.4% |
| Wood County, WV | 58 | 15.5% | 27.8% |
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 Meigs County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Meigs County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 16th 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, Meigs County ranks 9th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Meigs 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.
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 Meigs County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.