About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Blaine County, Oklahoma, is not working
In Blaine County, 35.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Blaine County's score
In Blaine County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.2. About one in three people with a credit file (33.0%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 81% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Blaine 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.
Blaine County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.8%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.0% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.7 · 202568th percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.1% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.6% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,556 · 202471st percentile
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- 69.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 65.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.4% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 42.5 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 rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th 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 Blaine 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 Blaine County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Blaine County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Blaine County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Blaine County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Blaine County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2010 to 16.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Blaine County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 14.3%
Low on the chart: 9.4% 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, Blaine County, Oklahoma.
How Blaine County has changed
Blaine County's population had its largest drop, from 11,896 in 2009 to 9,530 in 2014.
Blaine County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 39% since
High on the chart: 14,026 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Blaine County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Blaine County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 3,363 in 2005 to 2,919 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Blaine County fell 8% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 3,363 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Blaine County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 18.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,910 | 2024 $59,556 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Blaine County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 20,452. The 2020 Census counted 8,735, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1937
Civilian Conservation Corps and New Deal programs built Roman Nose State Park, 1937. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in May 1961 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1967
A tornado in June 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in April 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in May 2004 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Blaine County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Blaine County beside its neighbors
Blaine County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Blaine County ranks 2nd of the seven; Caddo County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine County, OK | 74 | 18.1% | 27.8% |
| Caddo County, OK | 65 | 18.9% | 36.0% |
| Custer County, OK | 44 | 16.1% | 24.1% |
| Canadian County, OK | 40 | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| Dewey County, OK | 29 | 12.9% | 24.5% |
| Major County, OK | 27 | 12.5% | 25.3% |
| Kingfisher County, OK | 23 | 10.9% | 17.5% |
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 Blaine County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Blaine County's poverty rate was 18.1% in 2024, 30th 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, Blaine County ranks 36th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Blaine 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 Blaine 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 Blaine County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.