About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Morgan County, Ohio, is not working
In Morgan County, 27.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morgan County's score
In Morgan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 58.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morgan 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.
Morgan County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 58.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,911 · 202455th percentile
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- 52.2 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 43.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.9% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.3 · 202545th 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 Morgan 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 Morgan County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morgan County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Morgan County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Morgan County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.1% in 2022 to 16.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.4% 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, Morgan County, Ohio.
How Morgan County has changed
Morgan County's population rose most sharply from its first year (12,296 in 1969) to 13,329 in 1974.
Morgan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 15,130 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morgan County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County had its largest drop, from 3,482 in 2000 to 2,765 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County fell by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,819, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 2,380 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morgan County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,846 | 2024 $64,911 |
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 Morgan County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,905. The 2020 Census counted 13,802, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flood in May 2010 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morgan County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morgan County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Morgan County, three score higher. Of the group, Morgan County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens County, OH | 72 | 25.3% | 29.0% |
| Perry County, OH | 61 | 13.7% | 30.6% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 60 | 13.0% | 29.5% |
| Morgan County, OH | 58 | 14.8% | 33.7% |
| Washington County, OH | 47 | 13.8% | 27.1% |
| Noble County, OH | 39 | 13.9% | 30.3% |
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 Morgan County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Morgan County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 18th 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, Morgan County ranks 34th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morgan 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 Morgan 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 Morgan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.