About one in eight people in Wayne County, Ohio, has a disability
In Wayne County, 12.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 42.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 24.9. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 18.0% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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.
Even so, Wayne County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 42.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.8 · 202556th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,275 · 202434th percentile
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- 38.3 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 working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.6% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 24.9 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 rent14.5% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wayne County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 15.9% in 2004 to 20.9% in 2009.
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.6% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Wayne County, Ohio.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest rise, from 91,050 in 1974 to 97,288 in 1979.
Wayne County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 116,632
High on the chart: 116,886 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 48,328 in 2005 to 41,622 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 48,168
High on the chart: 48,328 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,722 | 2024 $72,275 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Wayne County's history
1812
January 4, 1812 (date organized; formed 1808). Wikipedia
2003
A tornado in November 2003 did $21 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in September 2010 did $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in July 2019 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 116,894, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Wayne County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wayne County ranks 4th of the six; Ashland County is highest, at 25.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit County, OH | 58 | 13.3% | 20.3% |
| Stark County, OH | 46 | 12.4% | 24.6% |
| Ashland County, OH | 33 | 11.6% | 25.8% |
| Wayne County, OH | 23 | 11.3% | 19.7% |
| Holmes County, OH | 7 | 9.0% | 11.7% |
| 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 Wayne County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 52nd 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, Wayne County ranks 71st of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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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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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.