In Sandusky County, Ohio, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Sandusky County, 18.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sandusky County's score
In Sandusky County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 61.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 33.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.4%, August 2025, lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sandusky 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.
Sandusky 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.
- 61.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people195.9 · 202573rd percentile
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- 60.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,851 · 202449th percentile
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- 40.8 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 33.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.4% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th 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 Sandusky 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 Sandusky County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sandusky County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sandusky County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sandusky County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Sandusky County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 10.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sandusky County, Ohio.
How Sandusky County has changed
Sandusky County's population had its largest rise, from 60,656 in 1969 to 62,949 in 1974.
Sandusky County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 63,691 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sandusky County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sandusky County fell 4% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 27,237 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sandusky County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,266 | 2024 $66,851 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Sandusky County's history
1813
Battle of Fort Stephenson in August 1813. Wikipedia
1820
Formed February 12, 1820 from portions of Huron County. Wikipedia
1977
A tornado in June 1977 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 63,267. The 2020 Census counted 58,896, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
Pioneer Sugar processing plant closed in 1997. Wikipedia
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $3.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A thunderstorm in July 2013 did $3.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sandusky County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sandusky County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sandusky County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sandusky County ranks 2nd of the six; Seneca County is highest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron County, OH | 54 | 11.7% | 26.9% |
| Erie County, OH | 49 | 13.1% | 24.4% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 48 | 13.3% | 27.3% |
| Seneca County, OH | 47 | 13.0% | 30.5% |
| Wood County, OH | 23 | 11.0% | 18.2% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 23 | 9.3% | 25.4% |
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 Sandusky County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Sandusky County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 35th 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, Sandusky County ranks 43rd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sandusky 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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Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (formerly WSOS Community Action Commision, Inc.)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Sandusky 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 Sandusky County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.