About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Scioto County, Ohio, is not working
In Scioto County, 32.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Scioto County's score
In Scioto County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 89.5. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 79.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Scioto 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.
Scioto County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (5.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.1% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 79.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people239 · 202583rd percentile
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- 72.3 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 72.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 71.9 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 line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability22.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,235 · 202482nd 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 Scioto 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 Scioto County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Scioto County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Scioto County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Scioto County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Scioto County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 25.7% in 2022 to 23.2% in 2023.
The share of households in Scioto County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 21.8% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Scioto County, Ohio.
How Scioto County has changed
Scioto County's population had its largest rise, from 79,976 in 1974 to 84,458 in 1979.
Scioto County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 84,458 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Scioto County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Scioto County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 25,000, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 25,078 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Scioto County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 6.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.1% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,849 | 2024 $55,235 |
The table uses 6.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Scioto County's history
1804
Founded March 24, 1804 from Adams County. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 86,565. The 2020 Census counted 74,008, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1952
Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant operated from 1952 onward for military and commercial nuclear purposes. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
Steel mills and shoe factories that drove the economy through early 20th century and until 1970s subsequently closed. Wikipedia
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in March 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Scioto County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Scioto County beside its neighbors
Scioto County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Ohio and Kentucky. For the share of income from benefit checks, Scioto County ranks 2nd of the seven; Lewis County is highest, at 43.8%.
| 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% |
| Greenup County, KY | 84 | 16.7% | 33.4% |
| Lewis County, KY | 82 | 22.2% | 43.8% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
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 Scioto County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Scioto 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, Scioto County ranks 1st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Scioto 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.
Download the CSV for Scioto 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 Scioto County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.