In Grant County, Oklahoma, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Grant County, 18.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grant County's score
In Grant County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 71.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 13.1. About one in 17 renters (6.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grant 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, Grant County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,169 · 202467th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th 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 score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98 · 202535th percentile
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- 13.1 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 rent6.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st 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 Grant 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 Grant County, 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grant County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Grant County had its largest drop, from 22.2% in 2009 to 16.7% in 2014.
In Grant County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Grant County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 9.5% in 2023 to 11.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2014, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.8% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grant County, Oklahoma.
How Grant County has changed
Grant County's population fell 45% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 5,757. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grant County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Grant County had its largest rise, from 1,171 in 2010 to 1,752 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Grant County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,752 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grant County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,974 | 2024 $61,169 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Grant County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 18,760. The 2020 Census counted 4,169, 22% of the peak. Census Bureau
1921
Oil and gas discovered early 1920s in eastern part near Blackwell Field, first well April 24, 1921 near Deer Creek. Wikipedia
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grant County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grant County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Grant County, in Oklahoma and Kansas, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grant County ranks 5th of the six; Kay County is highest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay County, OK | 73 | 16.8% | 31.8% |
| Garfield County, OK | 52 | 12.8% | 25.6% |
| Harper County, KS | 49 | 13.6% | 25.0% |
| Grant County, OK | 46 | 15.1% | 25.4% |
| Alfalfa County, OK | 40 | 18.1% | 26.0% |
| Sumner County, KS | 34 | 10.7% | 26.5% |
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 Grant County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Grant County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 50th 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, Grant County ranks 60th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grant 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 Grant County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.