About one in 10 people in Williams County, Ohio, lives below the poverty line
In Williams County, 10.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Williams County's score
In Williams County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 54.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 38.1. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (16.7%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 74% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Williams 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, Williams County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.6% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people172.2 · 202567th percentile
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- 53.7 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 rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.6% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,288 · 202460th percentile
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- 38.1 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 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Williams 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 Williams County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Williams County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Williams County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Williams County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Williams County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.9% in 2011 to 12.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Williams County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.2%
High on the chart: 15.0% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Williams County, Ohio.
How Williams County has changed
Williams County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 39,106 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Williams County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Williams County had its largest drop, from 19,587 in 2000 to 16,872 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Williams County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 19,983 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Williams County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.2% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,475 | 2024 $63,288 |
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 Williams County's history
1820
April 1, 1820 (created) February 2, 1824 (organized). Wikipedia
1824
Created April 1, 1820 and organized February 2, 1824. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in August 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 39,188. The 2020 Census counted 37,102, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A thunderstorm in August 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Williams County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Williams County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Williams County, in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Williams County ranks 3rd of the seven; Hillsdale County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale County, MI | 53 | 12.8% | 30.3% |
| Williams County, OH | 43 | 10.3% | 27.1% |
| Steuben County, IN | 28 | 9.4% | 24.1% |
| Defiance County, OH | 24 | 8.9% | 27.9% |
| Fulton County, OH | 20 | 8.3% | 23.5% |
| DeKalb County, IN | 20 | 8.9% | 22.6% |
| Henry County, OH | 19 | 7.9% | 25.9% |
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 Williams County the poorest county in Ohio?
No, Williams County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 61st 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, Williams County ranks 52nd of 88 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Williams 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 of Western Ohio (LAWO)
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 Williams 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 Williams County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.