About three in ten people in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, have a disability
In Jefferson County, 29.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.6. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (35.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 86.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.9%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
-
- 86.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability29.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance14.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,511 · 202489th percentile
-
- 59.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.3% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people93.5 · 202532nd percentile
-
- 48.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.0% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
-
- 38.2 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 rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
-
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jefferson County had its largest rise, from 26.2% in 2014 to 34.6% in 2019.
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 40.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.6% in 2018 to 23.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 13.5% 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, Jefferson County, Oklahoma.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest drop, from 8,135 in 1984 to 7,153 in 1989.
Jefferson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 8,178 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County had its largest drop, from 1,646 in 2000 to 1,146 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 1,693 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.9% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,560 | 2024 $51,511 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% 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 Jefferson County's history
1750
Taovaya village sites along Red River 1750s traded furs and goods with Comanches. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 17,664. The 2020 Census counted 5,337, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
Hail in March 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A thunderstorm in March 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1970
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson County, in Oklahoma and Texas, four score higher. Of the group, Jefferson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Montague County, TX | 80 | 13.4% | 33.9% |
| Stephens County, OK | 76 | 16.1% | 30.3% |
| Cotton County, OK | 76 | 17.1% | 29.4% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Love County, OK | 68 | 15.1% | 30.5% |
| Clay County, TX | 45 | 11.0% | 25.2% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 23rd 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, Jefferson County ranks 34th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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.
-
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
-
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.