Unemployment in Love County, Oklahoma, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Love County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Love County's score
In Love County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 77.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Love 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.
Love County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (38.9, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (7.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 77.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.5% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 71.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,781 · 202458th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.3% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people38.9 · 20255th percentile
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- 29.2 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 rent7.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th 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 Love 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 Love County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Love County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Love County had its largest rise, from 22.8% in 2004 to 28.1% in 2009.
In Love County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Love County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Love County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.6% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Love County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 6.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Love County, Oklahoma.
How Love County has changed
Love County's population had its largest rise, from 6,624 in 1974 to 7,544 in 1979.
Love County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10,423, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 8,329. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Love County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Love County had its largest rise, from 3,938 in 2010 to 5,464 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Love County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 6,238 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Love County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,342 | 2024 $63,781 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 Love County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 12,433. The 2020 Census counted 10,146, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
1953
A tornado in March 1953 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in April 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in April 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Marietta Bakery declared bankruptcy and closed January 2004. Wikipedia
2024
A tornado in April 2024 did $150 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Love County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Love County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Love County, in Oklahoma and Texas, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Love County ranks 4th of the seven; Jefferson County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Montague County, TX | 80 | 13.4% | 33.9% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Grayson County, TX | 70 | 11.0% | 24.4% |
| Love County, OK | 68 | 15.1% | 30.5% |
| Marshall County, OK | 65 | 14.6% | 32.7% |
| Cooke County, TX | 50 | 11.2% | 20.6% |
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 Love County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Love 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, Love County ranks 44th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Love 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 Love County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.