About one in 15 people in Warren County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Warren County, 6.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 34.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Warren 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.
Warren 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.
- 34.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.1% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.1 · 202549th percentile
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- 34.0 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.3% · fiscal year 20273rd percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 4.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.6% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.6% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$113,333 · 20242nd 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 Warren 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 Warren County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Warren County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Warren County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Warren County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.6% in 2012 to 5.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.6%
Low on the chart: 3.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Warren County, Ohio.
How Warren County has changed
Warren County's population had its largest rise, from 152,448 in 1999 to 188,904 in 2004.
Warren County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 256,059, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 102,088. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Warren County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Warren County had its largest rise, from 45,007 in 1995 to 59,347 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Warren County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 102,347, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 73,884. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Warren County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 6.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,358 | 2024 $113,333 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Warren County's history
1803
Established May 1, 1803 from Hamilton County. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in March 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 242,337, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in March 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Warren County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Warren County score higher than it does. Of the group, Warren County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Clinton County gets the largest, at 26.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, OH | 71 | 14.4% | 23.9% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 61 | 14.2% | 16.5% |
| Clinton County, OH | 50 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Butler County, OH | 49 | 13.0% | 20.1% |
| Clermont County, OH | 33 | 8.6% | 20.6% |
| Greene County, OH | 21 | 9.9% | 19.1% |
| Warren County, OH | 7 | 6.6% | 12.8% |
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 Warren County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 6.6% in 2024, 83rd 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, Warren County ranks 80th of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Warren 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 Society of Greater Cincinnati
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 Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.