About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Perry County, Ohio, is not working
In Perry County, 24.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Perry County's score
In Perry County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 68.6. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 67.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Perry 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.
Perry County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.7%, fiscal year 2027) and median household income ($68,322, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
-
- 67.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.6% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people205.3 · 202576th percentile
-
- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
-
- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,322 · 202445th percentile
-
- 44.2 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
-
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 Perry 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 Perry County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Perry County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Perry County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Perry County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Perry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 23.4% in 2019 to 20.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Perry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 15.5% 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, Perry County, Ohio.
How Perry County has changed
Perry County's population had its largest rise, from 28,929 in 1974 to 30,917 in 1979.
Perry County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35,682
High on the chart: 35,996 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Perry County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Perry County had its largest drop, from 6,492 in 2005 to 5,840 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Perry County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,881 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Perry County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.9% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,446 | 2024 $68,322 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Perry County's history
1818
Established on March 1, 1818, from parts of Fairfield, Washington and Muskingum counties. Wikipedia
1874
Fire in February 1874 destroyed business block. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 36,098. The 2020 Census counted 35,408, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in June 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Cooper-Standard Automotive closing 2027 with 200-275 job losses. Wikipedia
-
Since 1968
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Perry County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Perry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Perry County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Perry County ranks 3rd of the seven; Morgan County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens County, OH | 72 | 25.3% | 29.0% |
| Perry County, OH | 61 | 13.7% | 30.6% |
| Hocking County, OH | 60 | 13.2% | 33.0% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 60 | 13.0% | 29.5% |
| Morgan County, OH | 58 | 14.8% | 33.7% |
| Licking County, OH | 39 | 9.2% | 19.9% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 31 | 8.1% | 18.8% |
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 Perry County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Perry County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 32nd 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, Perry County ranks 27th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Perry 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.
-
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO)
Legal aid
-
Ohio Legal Help
Legal help website
-
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 Perry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.