About one in four people in Johnston County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Johnston County, 24.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnston County's score
In Johnston County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.2. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (32.7%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 91.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnston 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.
Johnston County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (3.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 91.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.5% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.8% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability24.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance14.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,529 · 202492nd percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.8% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people195.8 · 202573rd percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.3% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 38.1 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 rent9.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.2% · fiscal year 202764th 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 Johnston 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 Johnston County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnston County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnston County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Johnston County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnston County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2021 low, from 15.4% in 2021 to 18.4% in 2022.
The share of households in Johnston County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 19.4%
Low on the chart: 15.4% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Johnston County, Oklahoma.
How Johnston County has changed
Johnston County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10,293, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 10,847 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnston County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Johnston County rose by about half to 3,038, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,624. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnston County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.5% | 2024 21.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,846 | 2024 $49,529 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Johnston County's history
1907
Established at statehood November 16, 1907. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 20,125. The 2020 Census counted 10,272, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in May 2010 did $2.63 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in May 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in March 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in October 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1981
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnston County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnston County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Johnston County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnston County ranks 2nd of the eight; Atoka County is highest, at 36.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Johnston County, OK | 83 | 21.5% | 34.8% |
| Atoka County, OK | 80 | 19.5% | 36.4% |
| Bryan County, OK | 75 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Marshall County, OK | 65 | 14.6% | 32.7% |
| Coal County, OK | 65 | 18.6% | 33.6% |
| Murray County, OK | 63 | 13.7% | 29.6% |
| 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 Johnston County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Johnston County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 9th 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, Johnston County ranks 20th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.