About one in seven people in Portage County, Ohio, has a disability
In Portage County, 13.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Portage County's score
In Portage County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 61.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.9. About one in 10 children (10.5%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Portage 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, Portage County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (225.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people225.6 · 202581st percentile
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- 60.2 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
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- 40.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,710 · 202420th 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 Portage 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 Portage 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
Portage County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Portage County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Portage County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Portage County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.9% in 2010 to 10.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Portage County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.2%
Low on the chart: 7.5% 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, Portage County, Ohio.
How Portage County has changed
Portage County's population rose by about a third to 163,839, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 132,592. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Portage County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Portage County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 48,587. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Portage County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.1% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,318 | 2024 $79,710 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Portage County's history
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in June 2007 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in November 2017 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 161,791, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Portage County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Portage County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Portage County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Portage County ranks 4th of the six; Trumbull County is highest, at 31.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning County, OH | 81 | 19.3% | 29.1% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 75 | 13.3% | 31.3% |
| Summit County, OH | 58 | 13.3% | 20.3% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Portage County, OH | 40 | 11.7% | 21.9% |
| Geauga County, OH | 2 | 5.7% | 13.6% |
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 Portage County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Portage County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 46th 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, Portage County ranks 54th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Portage 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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Community Legal Aid (Akron/Canton)
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 Portage 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 Portage County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.