Unemployment in Carter County, Oklahoma, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Carter County, 6.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carter County's score
In Carter County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 88.8. Jobs come next, at 82.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carter 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.
Carter County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.4% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.6% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 82.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 77.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability22.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance14.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,179 · 202470th percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.3% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142 · 202556th percentile
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- 54.2 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 rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202751st 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 Carter 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 Carter County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carter County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Carter County had its largest rise, from 20.7% in 2014 to 25.0% in 2019.
In Carter County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Carter County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carter County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.5% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Carter County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 16.2%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Carter County, Oklahoma.
How Carter County has changed
Carter County's population rose by about a third to 49,135, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 46,824. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carter County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Carter County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 21,911 in 2010 to 24,228 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Carter County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 23,466
High on the chart: 24,228 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carter County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,888 | 2024 $60,179 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Carter County's history
1915
Railroad car explosion in Ardmore in 1915 killed 43 people. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in October 1979 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in February 2009 did $3 million in property damage and killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 48,003, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in April 2024 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carter County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carter County beside its neighbors
Carter County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. Of the group, Carter County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jefferson County gets the largest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Johnston County, OK | 83 | 21.5% | 34.8% |
| Garvin County, OK | 81 | 19.4% | 32.9% |
| Stephens County, OK | 76 | 16.1% | 30.3% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Love County, OK | 68 | 15.1% | 30.5% |
| Marshall County, OK | 65 | 14.6% | 32.7% |
| Murray County, OK | 63 | 13.7% | 29.6% |
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 Carter County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Carter County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 40th 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, Carter County ranks 9th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carter 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 Carter 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 Carter County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.