About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Delaware County, Oklahoma, is not working
In Delaware County, 31.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Delaware County's score
In Delaware County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.6. About one in five people (22.0%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 78.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Delaware 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.
Delaware County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.6% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,179 · 202486th percentile
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- 78.3 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 behind9.1% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.3% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 75.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.8% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.8% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.9 · 202557th percentile
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- 50.3 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 rent16.0% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County, 25.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Delaware County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Delaware County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 35.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Delaware County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Delaware County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.7% in 2012 to 14.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Delaware County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.6%
High on the chart: 16.7% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Delaware County, Oklahoma.
How Delaware County has changed
Delaware County's population more than doubled to 41,771, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 36,503. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Delaware County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Delaware County had its largest rise, from 4,376 in 1990 to 6,411 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Delaware County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 9,739, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 8,848. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Delaware County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.3% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,268 | 2024 $53,179 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Delaware County's history
1820
Delaware, Cherokee, and Seneca people relocated to the area between 1820 and 1832. Wikipedia
1907
Delaware County was created in 1907. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in April 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in April 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in March 2006 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in February 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 41,487. The 2020 Census counted 40,397, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Delaware County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Delaware County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Delaware County, in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Delaware County ranks 3rd of the eight; Adair County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, OK | 95 | 22.4% | 38.5% |
| Ottawa County, OK | 86 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Delaware County, OK | 84 | 18.3% | 35.9% |
| Cherokee County, OK | 79 | 17.8% | 33.2% |
| McDonald County, MO | 69 | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Craig County, OK | 68 | 17.6% | 37.4% |
| Mayes County, OK | 67 | 14.5% | 32.2% |
| Benton County, AR | 14 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 Delaware County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Delaware County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, 29th 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, Delaware County ranks 18th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.