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 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). 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. Unemployment averaged 5.3%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 73.7.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Trumbull County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 74.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202685th 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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- 68.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.2% · Q4 202557th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,389 · 202469th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Trumbull County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Trumbull County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Trumbull County in 2024, pay from work was 53 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Trumbull County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Trumbull County, Ohio: 31.3% and 52.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.3% of all personal income in Trumbull County, Ohio (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Trumbull County has changed
The number of people living in Trumbull County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 230,675 to 200,300. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.7% in 1990 to 5.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 230,675 | 2024 200,300 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 89,122 | 2024 65,830 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,640 | 2024 $60,389 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.3% | 2024 31.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Trumbull County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1800
Formed July 10, 1800. Wikipedia
1985
Tornado: $250 million in property damage, 10 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
Tornado: $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $12 million in property damage, one death. 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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 75 | 13.3% | 31.3% |
| Ashtabula County, OH | 75 | 15.2% | 33.1% |
| Crawford County, PA | 57 | 16.8% | 32.1% |
| Mercer County, PA | 53 | 13.1% | 31.5% |
| Portage County, OH | 41 | 11.7% | 21.9% |
| Geauga County, OH | 2 | 5.7% | 13.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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.
Trumbull County in photographs
Places in Trumbull County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
NRHP-listed Trumbull County Courthouse in Warren, Ohio.
0919-676-25 MPB 35-78-01 Mail Pouch Barn in Trumbull County, Ohio.
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Trumbull County, Ohio: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Trumbull County, Ohio?
13.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 17.1%.
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.
What is the population of Trumbull County, Ohio?
About 200,300 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 201,977, 84% of the county's peak of 241,863 in 1980.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Trumbull County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Apprisen - Warren
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Ohio Legal Help
Legal aid
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Ohio State Bar Association Lawyer Referral
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.