About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, have a job
In Cimarron County, 10.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cimarron County's score
In Cimarron County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 85.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cimarron 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, Cimarron County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (29.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (19.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.5% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability29.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance19.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,094 · 202470th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.4% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202558th percentile
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- 23.6 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 rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Cimarron 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 Cimarron County, 27.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cimarron County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cimarron County had its largest drop, from 23.6% in 2009 to 13.3% in 2014.
In Cimarron County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Cimarron County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cimarron County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.9% in 2022 to 8.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Cimarron County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cimarron County, Oklahoma.
How Cimarron County has changed
Cimarron County's population fell by about half to 2,133, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 3,575. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cimarron County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Cimarron County had its largest drop in the last span, from 751 in 2020 to 618 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cimarron County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 847 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cimarron County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.3% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,557 | 2024 $60,094 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Cimarron County's history
1907
Cimarron County was created at statehood in 1907. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,408. The 2020 Census counted 2,296, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2001
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cimarron County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cimarron County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cimarron County, in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas and Kansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cimarron County ranks 4th of the seven; Union County is highest, at 41.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NM | 60 | 18.3% | 41.9% |
| Baca County, CO | 52 | 18.2% | 35.6% |
| Texas County, OK | 40 | 13.5% | 12.0% |
| Cimarron County, OK | 40 | 17.2% | 20.3% |
| Dallam County, TX | 37 | 11.7% | 12.5% |
| Sherman County, TX | 30 | 12.1% | 5.5% |
| Morton County, KS | 25 | 12.2% | 20.8% |
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 Cimarron County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Cimarron County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 35th 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, Cimarron County ranks 67th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cimarron 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 Cimarron 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 Cimarron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.