Benefit checks make up 30 cents of every dollar of income in Richland County, Ohio
In Richland County, 29.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 63% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Richland County's score
In Richland County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 69.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 219.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 79% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 61.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Richland 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.
Richland County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.8%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people219.1 · 202579th percentile
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- 61.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 54.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,025 · 202452nd percentile
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- 38.8 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Richland 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 Richland County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Richland County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Richland County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Richland County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Richland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.9% in 2010 to 12.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Richland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 14.8%
Low on the chart: 10.1% 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, Richland County, Ohio.
How Richland County has changed
Richland County's population fell 3% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 2004 and 2009
High on the chart: 130,356 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Richland County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Richland County had its largest drop, from 57,918 in 2005 to 50,650 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Richland County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2020, reaching 46,601, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 61,575 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Richland County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,020 | 2024 $66,025 |
The table uses 5.3% 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 Richland County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 131,205. The 2020 Census counted 124,936, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in March 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in November 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
Westinghouse closed 1990 as Mansfield Products Company. Wikipedia
2002
AK Steel Mansfield locked out and struck 1999-2002. Wikipedia
2006
A flash flood in July 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Richland County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Richland County beside its neighbors
Richland County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Richland County ranks 2nd of the six; Crawford County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County, OH | 59 | 13.5% | 29.8% |
| Crawford County, OH | 55 | 11.2% | 32.4% |
| Huron County, OH | 54 | 11.7% | 26.9% |
| Morrow County, OH | 44 | 10.4% | 23.9% |
| Ashland County, OH | 33 | 11.6% | 25.8% |
| Knox County, OH | 28 | 10.7% | 25.2% |
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 Richland County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Richland County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 33rd 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, Richland County ranks 32nd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.