Benefit checks make up 37 cents of every dollar of income in Craig County, Oklahoma
In Craig County, 37.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Craig County's score
In Craig County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.2. Jobs come next, at 70.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Craig 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.
Craig County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.7%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability21.7% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance14.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,309 · 202481st percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.7% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.2% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 54.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.2% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.5 · 202537th percentile
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- 34.8 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 income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Craig 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 Craig County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Craig County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Craig County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 29% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Craig County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Craig County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.0% in 2014 to 11.7% in 2015.
The share of households in Craig County getting SNAP food aid rose to 14.5%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 9.3% 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, Craig County, Oklahoma.
How Craig County has changed
Craig County's population had its largest drop, from 14,968 in 1984 to 14,298 in 1989.
Craig County's population fell 4% from 1969 to 2019, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 15,237 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Craig County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Craig County had its largest drop, from 5,497 in 2015 to 5,018 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Craig County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 5,989 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Craig County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,957 | 2024 $55,309 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Craig County's history
1907
The county was organized in 1907, at the Oklahoma Statehood Convention. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 21,083. The 2020 Census counted 14,107, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
A tornado in June 1970 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in June 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in April 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in May 1999 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Craig County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Craig County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Craig County, in Oklahoma and Kansas, three score higher. Of the group, Craig County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (37.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OK | 86 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Delaware County, OK | 84 | 18.3% | 35.9% |
| Nowata County, OK | 72 | 15.3% | 33.6% |
| Craig County, OK | 68 | 17.6% | 37.4% |
| Mayes County, OK | 67 | 14.5% | 32.2% |
| Cherokee County, KS | 58 | 16.3% | 26.7% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Rogers County, OK | 34 | 7.9% | 21.6% |
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 Craig County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Craig County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 33rd 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, Craig County ranks 42nd of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Craig 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.
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 Craig County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.