About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Ottawa County, Ohio, have a job
In Ottawa County, 15.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ottawa County's score
In Ottawa County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.4. About one in 26 people (3.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ottawa 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, Ottawa County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.0% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.1 · 202548th percentile
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- 32.6 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 rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
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- 29.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.9% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 23.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.4% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,709 · 202426th 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County, 27.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ottawa County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ottawa County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Ottawa County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ottawa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.3% in 2019 to 7.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Ottawa County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.1% 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, Ottawa County, Ohio.
How Ottawa County has changed
Ottawa County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 41,564 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ottawa County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Ottawa County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 13,968 in 1995 to 15,439 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ottawa County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 12,962 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ottawa County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,234 | 2024 $76,709 |
The table uses 6.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Ottawa County's history
1840
Formed on March 6, 1840, from portions of Erie, Lucas and Sandusky counties. Wikipedia
1998
A tornado in June 1998 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $13.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 41,428. The 2020 Census counted 40,364, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ottawa County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ottawa County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Ottawa County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ottawa County ranks 3rd of the four; Sandusky County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County, OH | 79 | 16.8% | 25.5% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 48 | 13.3% | 27.3% |
| Wood County, OH | 23 | 11.0% | 18.2% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 23 | 9.3% | 25.4% |
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 Ottawa County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Ottawa County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 66th 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, Ottawa County ranks 72nd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ottawa 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 Western Ohio (LAWO)
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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.