About one in 15 people in Canadian County, Oklahoma, lives below the poverty line
In Canadian County, 6.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Canadian County's score
In Canadian County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 75.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 24.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Canadian 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, Canadian County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (262.8, 2025).
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 collector26.9% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people262.8 · 202586th percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.8% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 38.1 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 33.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 24.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.5% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,636 · 20249th 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 Canadian 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 Canadian County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Canadian County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Canadian County had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 1999 to 12.3% in 2004.
In Canadian County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Canadian County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Canadian County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 7.5% in 2023 to 8.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Canadian County getting SNAP food aid rose to 8.4%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 6.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Canadian County, Oklahoma.
How Canadian County has changed
Canadian County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 150,723 in 2019 to 181,760 in 2024.
Canadian County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 181,760, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 73,637. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Canadian County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Canadian County had its largest rise in the last span, from 32,402 in 2020 to 39,063 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Canadian County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 39,063, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 32,402. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Canadian County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 6.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,070 | 2024 $91,636 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Canadian County's history
1859
Caddo Nation relocated from Texas to Canadian County, 1859. Wikipedia
1861
Wichita tribe relocated to Indian Territory, 1861. Wikipedia
1870
Cheyenne-Arapaho Agency (Darlington Agency) established 1870. Wikipedia
1889
Canadian County was formed in 1889 as County Four of Oklahoma Territory as part of the Oklahoma Organic Act. Wikipedia
1889
Oklahoma Land Run, April 22, 1889. Wikipedia
1932
United States Southwestern Reformatory (later FCI El Reno) built 1932. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in May 2011 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in May 2013 killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 154,405, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Canadian County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Canadian County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Canadian County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Canadian County ranks 7th of the eight; Caddo County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma County, OK | 78 | 16.2% | 16.5% |
| Blaine County, OK | 74 | 18.1% | 27.8% |
| Caddo County, OK | 65 | 18.9% | 36.0% |
| Grady County, OK | 48 | 11.9% | 23.3% |
| Cleveland County, OK | 45 | 12.0% | 19.9% |
| McClain County, OK | 40 | 8.9% | 21.6% |
| Canadian County, OK | 40 | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| 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 Canadian County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Canadian County's poverty rate was 6.9% in 2024, the lowest 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, Canadian County ranks 66th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Canadian 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 Canadian 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 Canadian County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.