Unemployment in Hughes County, Oklahoma, is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Hughes County, 6.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hughes County's score
In Hughes County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.4. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hughes 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.
Hughes County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 88.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.4% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.5% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,070 · 202488th percentile
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- 76.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.8% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 70.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.7% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people171.2 · 202567th percentile
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- 41.3 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 rent14.2% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Hughes 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 Hughes County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hughes County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hughes County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 33.8% in 2009 to 26.9% in 2014.
In Hughes County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hughes County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hughes County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (12.1% in 2009) to 14.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Hughes County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 15.8%
Low on the chart: 12.1% 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, Hughes County, Oklahoma.
How Hughes County has changed
Hughes County's population fell 4% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 14,617 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hughes County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Hughes County had its largest rise, from 2,586 in 1995 to 3,208 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hughes County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 3,208 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hughes County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.1% | 2024 22.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,380 | 2024 $52,070 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Hughes County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 30,334. The 2020 Census counted 13,367, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
1950
A tornado in April 1950 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1954
A tornado in May 1954 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
EF3 tornado struck Holdenville April 27, 2024, two fatalities and extensive damage. Wikipedia
2024
A tornado in April 2024 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in April 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hughes County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hughes County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Hughes County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hughes County ranks 6th of the seven; McIntosh County is highest, at 45.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole County, OK | 97 | 19.7% | 37.5% |
| McIntosh County, OK | 93 | 18.9% | 45.9% |
| Okfuskee County, OK | 93 | 24.3% | 42.5% |
| Hughes County, OK | 88 | 22.4% | 31.7% |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 83 | 18.8% | 34.3% |
| Coal County, OK | 65 | 18.6% | 33.6% |
| Pontotoc County, OK | 49 | 13.2% | 26.9% |
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 Hughes County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Hughes County's poverty rate was 22.4% in 2024, 5th 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, Hughes County ranks 12th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hughes 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 Hughes 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 Hughes County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.