Unemployment in Trumbull County, Ohio, is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Trumbull County, 5.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Trumbull County's score
In Trumbull County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 74.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 73.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Trumbull 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.
Trumbull County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.9%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (7.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people236.6 · 202582nd percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.1% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 55.4 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 line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,389 · 202469th percentile
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- 52.2 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 rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Trumbull 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 Trumbull County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Trumbull County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Trumbull County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 31.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Trumbull County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Trumbull County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.0% in 2011 to 13.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Trumbull County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.0%
High on the chart: 14.7% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Trumbull County, Ohio.
How Trumbull County has changed
Trumbull County's population had its largest rise, from 230,675 in 1969 to 240,324 in 1974.
Trumbull County's population fell 13% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 241,308 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Trumbull County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Trumbull County had its largest drop, from 83,668 in 2005 to 69,719 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Trumbull County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 97,148 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Trumbull County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,640 | 2024 $60,389 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Trumbull County's history
1800
Formed July 10, 1800. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 241,863. The 2020 Census counted 201,977, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $250 million in property damage and killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $12 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Trumbull County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Trumbull County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Trumbull County, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Trumbull County ranks 4th of the seven; Ashtabula County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning County, OH | 81 | 19.3% | 29.1% |
| Ashtabula County, OH | 75 | 15.2% | 33.1% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 75 | 13.3% | 31.3% |
| Crawford County, PA | 57 | 16.8% | 32.1% |
| Mercer County, PA | 54 | 13.1% | 31.5% |
| Portage County, OH | 40 | 11.7% | 21.9% |
| Geauga County, OH | 2 | 5.7% | 13.6% |
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 Trumbull County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Trumbull 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, Trumbull County ranks 13th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Trumbull 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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Apprisen - Warren
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 Trumbull 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 Trumbull County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.