About one in four people in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Choctaw County, 26.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Choctaw County's score
In Choctaw County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 94.8. About one in four people (26.4%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 85.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Choctaw 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.
Choctaw County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (77.1, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line26.4% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line35.6% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability26.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance17.7% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,680 · 2024top 5%
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- 85.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.9% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 66.9 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 working27.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 66.6 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.7% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.2% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.1 · 202523rd 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 Choctaw 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 Choctaw County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Choctaw County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Choctaw County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 36.9% in 2004 to 42.6% in 2009.
In Choctaw County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 41.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Choctaw County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Choctaw County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 21.9% in 2013 to 25.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Choctaw County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 24.9%
Low on the chart: 20.3% 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, Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
How Choctaw County has changed
Choctaw County's population had its largest rise, from 15,307 in 1969 to 17,975 in 1974.
Choctaw County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1974 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 17,975 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Choctaw County rose by more than half to 5,372, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 5,372 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.1% | 2024 26.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,809 | 2024 $39,680 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Choctaw County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 32,144. The 2020 Census counted 14,204, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in April 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in May 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in May 2016 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Choctaw County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Choctaw County beside its neighbors
Choctaw County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Oklahoma and Texas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Choctaw County ranks 2nd of the seven; Pushmataha County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choctaw County, OK | 89 | 26.4% | 41.6% |
| Red River County, TX | 86 | 15.0% | 39.3% |
| McCurtain County, OK | 85 | 21.2% | 35.1% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 82 | 18.8% | 44.8% |
| Lamar County, TX | 82 | 17.2% | 31.3% |
| Atoka County, OK | 80 | 19.5% | 36.4% |
| Bryan County, OK | 75 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
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 Choctaw County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
Yes, Choctaw County's poverty rate was 26.4% in 2024, the highest of 77 counties in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Choctaw County ranks 10th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Choctaw 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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Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Choctaw 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 Choctaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.