Unemployment in Pike County, Ohio, is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Pike County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pike County's score
In Pike County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.9. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 84.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pike 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.
Pike County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.0% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 84.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.2% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people222.2 · 202580th percentile
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- 69.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.7% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability22.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,100 · 202472nd percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 64.4 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 rent20.9% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd 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 Pike 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 Pike County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pike County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pike County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 30.2% in 2004 to 36.9% in 2009.
In Pike County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 35.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Pike County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 23.3% in 2012 to 26.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 23.8%
Low on the chart: 22.7% 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, Pike County, Ohio.
How Pike County has changed
Pike County's population had its largest rise, from 20,447 in 1974 to 22,408 in 1979.
Pike County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 28,679 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pike County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Pike County rose most sharply from its first year (7,667 in 1990) to 10,150 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Pike County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 11,572 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pike County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.9% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.6% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,694 | 2024 $59,100 |
The table uses 6.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Pike County's history
1815
Organized on February 1, 1815, from portions of Scioto, Ross, and Adams Counties, and was named in honor of Zebulon Pike, the explorer and soldier who had recently been killed in the War of 1812. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 28,709. The 2020 Census counted 27,088, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in February 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pike County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pike County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Pike County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pike County ranks 4th of the six; Scioto County is highest, at 37.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 92 | 19.1% | 37.7% |
| Pike County, OH | 90 | 19.1% | 35.3% |
| Adams County, OH | 88 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Jackson County, OH | 88 | 15.5% | 36.1% |
| Ross County, OH | 81 | 13.4% | 31.3% |
| Highland County, OH | 55 | 14.6% | 31.4% |
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 Pike County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Pike County's poverty rate was 19.1% in 2024, 4th 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, Pike County ranks 2nd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pike 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 Pike County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.