In Beaver County, Oklahoma, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Beaver County, 15.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Beaver County's score
In Beaver County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 50.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 5.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Beaver 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, Beaver County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,555 · 202439th percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 31.2 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 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 18.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people39.9 · 20255th percentile
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- 5.6 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 rent6.9% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.6% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Beaver 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 Beaver County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Beaver County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Beaver County had its largest drop, from 17.1% in 2009 to 10.8% in 2014.
In Beaver County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Beaver County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Beaver County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.1% in 2019 to 4.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Beaver County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4.2%, with its low point on the chart in 2013
Low on the chart: 3.5% 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, Beaver County, Oklahoma.
How Beaver County has changed
Beaver County's population had its largest drop, from 7,093 in 1984 to 6,204 in 1989.
Beaver County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 7,093 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Beaver County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Beaver County had its largest drop, from 1,648 in 2015 to 1,302 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Beaver County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,648 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Beaver County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.5% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,992 | 2024 $70,555 |
The table uses 2.6% 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 Beaver County's history
1890
After becoming part of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890, Beaver County was organized, initially covering the entire Oklahoma Panhandle. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 14,048. The 2020 Census counted 5,049, 36% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A thunderstorm in September 1999 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in March 2007 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in August 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A thunderstorm in June 2021 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2001
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Beaver County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Beaver County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Beaver County, in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Beaver County ranks 6th of the nine; Clark County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, OK | 55 | 12.8% | 21.8% |
| Seward County, KS | 40 | 13.1% | 17.9% |
| Texas County, OK | 40 | 13.5% | 12.0% |
| Ochiltree County, TX | 29 | 11.4% | 14.1% |
| Harper County, OK | 26 | 11.2% | 20.5% |
| Clark County, KS | 20 | 12.5% | 24.7% |
| Lipscomb County, TX | 20 | 13.4% | 9.1% |
| Beaver County, OK | 15 | 12.5% | 15.5% |
| Meade County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 15.9% |
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 Beaver County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Beaver County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 67th highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Beaver County ranks 77th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Beaver 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 Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
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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 Beaver 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 Beaver County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.