About one in 17 people in Putnam County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Putnam County, 6.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 21.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Putnam County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 21.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 19.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.6% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.1 · 202521st percentile
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- 12.7 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 rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.9% · fiscal year 20272nd percentile
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- 10.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.3% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
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- 4.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.0% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,101 · 202412th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.2% in 2009 to 6.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2023, reaching 7.2%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 7.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Putnam County, Ohio.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 34,680 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,444, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 12,460 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.5% | 2024 6.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,823 | 2024 $88,101 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Putnam County's history
1832
Ottawa and other tribes removed to Kansas 1832. Wikipedia
1971
A tornado in June 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in May 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 34,726. The 2020 Census counted 34,451, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A tornado in November 2002 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in March 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Putnam County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 6th of the seven; Defiance County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, OH | 59 | 14.8% | 26.8% |
| Paulding County, OH | 27 | 10.4% | 25.2% |
| Hancock County, OH | 25 | 9.0% | 17.5% |
| Defiance County, OH | 24 | 8.9% | 27.9% |
| Van Wert County, OH | 21 | 8.9% | 24.5% |
| Henry County, OH | 19 | 7.9% | 25.9% |
| Putnam County, OH | 1 | 6.0% | 19.4% |
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 Putnam County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 6.0% in 2024, 85th 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, Putnam County ranks 87th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.