In Summit County, Ohio, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Summit County, 21.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 53% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Summit County's score
In Summit County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 71.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 288.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 67.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Summit 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.
Summit County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people288.9 · 202589th percentile
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- 67.5 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 rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 54.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.1% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 40.9 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 line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,449 · 202440th 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 Summit 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 Summit County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Summit County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Summit County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Summit County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Summit County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.0% in 2011 to 13.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Summit County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.1%
High on the chart: 14.7% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Summit County, Ohio.
How Summit County has changed
Summit County's population rose most sharply after its 1989 low, from 513,371 in 1989 to 531,568 in 1994.
Summit County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 553,176 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Summit County, Ohio.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Summit County rose 12% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 270,339 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Summit County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,575 | 2024 $70,449 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Summit County's history
1840
Formed March 3, 1840 from portions of Medina, Portage and Stark counties. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 553,371. The 2020 Census counted 540,428, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $100 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in June 2007 did $288 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in July 2013 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in July 2013 did $3.8 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Summit County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Summit County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Summit County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Summit County ranks 3rd of the six; Stark County is highest, at 24.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 72 | 14.9% | 20.2% |
| Summit County, OH | 58 | 13.3% | 20.3% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Portage County, OH | 40 | 11.7% | 21.9% |
| Wayne County, OH | 23 | 11.3% | 19.7% |
| Medina County, OH | 6 | 6.1% | 16.8% |
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 Summit County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Summit 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, Summit County ranks 35th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Summit 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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Asian Akron Office 2
HUD-approved housing counselor
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East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Fair Housing Contact Service
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Summit 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 Summit County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.