About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Muskingum County, Ohio, is not working
In Muskingum County, 23.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 64% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Muskingum County's score
In Muskingum County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 74.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 259.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 86% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 61.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Muskingum 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.
Muskingum County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.1%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (6.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people259.5 · 202586th percentile
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- 61.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.4% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 55.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 49.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.5% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,161 · 202460th percentile
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- 42.3 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd 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 Muskingum 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 Muskingum County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Muskingum County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Muskingum County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Muskingum County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Muskingum County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.4% in 2013 to 22.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Muskingum County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 19.3%
Low on the chart: 15.7% 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, Muskingum County, Ohio.
How Muskingum County has changed
Muskingum County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 83,210. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Muskingum County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Muskingum County had its largest drop, from 41,072 in 2000 to 36,070 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Muskingum County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 41,072 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Muskingum County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,408 | 2024 $63,161 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Muskingum County's history
1986
A tornado in March 1986 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Lightning in July 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 86,410, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Muskingum County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Muskingum County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Muskingum County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Muskingum County ranks 6th of the seven; Morgan County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guernsey County, OH | 65 | 13.8% | 32.1% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 63 | 11.6% | 32.3% |
| Perry County, OH | 61 | 13.7% | 30.6% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 60 | 13.0% | 29.5% |
| Morgan County, OH | 58 | 14.8% | 33.7% |
| Noble County, OH | 39 | 13.9% | 30.3% |
| Licking County, OH | 39 | 9.2% | 19.9% |
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 Muskingum County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Muskingum County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 40th 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, Muskingum County ranks 31st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Muskingum 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 Muskingum 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 Muskingum County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.