About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Noble County, Ohio, have a job
In Noble County, 17.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Noble County's score
In Noble County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 18.0. About one in 33 renters (3.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Noble 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, Noble County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (21.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,623 · 202459th percentile
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- 55.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 30.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.7% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.9 · 202519th percentile
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- 18.0 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 rent3.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Noble 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 Noble County, 29.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Noble County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Noble County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Noble County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Noble County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.3% in 2010 to 15.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Noble County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Noble County, Ohio.
How Noble County has changed
Noble County's population rose 36% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 14,649 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Noble County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Noble County had its largest rise, from 2,561 in 1995 to 3,412 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Noble County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 3,412 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Noble County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 7.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,327 | 2024 $63,623 |
The table uses 7.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Noble County's history
1814
Thorla-McKee Well, first North American oil well. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 19,466. The 2020 Census counted 14,115, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $10 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in June 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Noble County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Noble County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Noble County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Noble County ranks 4th of the seven; Monroe County is highest, at 35.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont County, OH | 69 | 15.1% | 28.8% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 65 | 13.8% | 32.1% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 60 | 13.0% | 29.5% |
| Morgan County, OH | 58 | 14.8% | 33.7% |
| Washington County, OH | 47 | 13.8% | 27.1% |
| Monroe County, OH | 46 | 13.8% | 35.9% |
| 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 Noble County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Noble County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 26th 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, Noble County ranks 55th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Noble 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 Noble County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.