In Major County, Oklahoma, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Major County, 16.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Major County's score
In Major County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 54.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 9.2. About one in 14 renters (7.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Major 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.
Major County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,653 · 202453rd percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.7 · 202546th percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.5% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 9.2 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 rent7.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.7% · fiscal year 202711th 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 Major 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 Major County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Major County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Major County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Major County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Major County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2014 high, from 10.6% in 2013 to 13.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Major County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.7%
High on the chart: 13.3% 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, Major County, Oklahoma.
How Major County has changed
Major County's population had its largest drop, from 9,439 in 1984 to 8,295 in 1989.
Major County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 9,439 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Major County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Major County had its largest drop, from 2,717 in 2015 to 2,167 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Major County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,717 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Major County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,415 | 2024 $65,653 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Major County's history
1907
Created from the southern part of a territorial county upon statehood in 1907. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 15,248. The 2020 Census counted 7,782, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
1935
Black Sunday dust storms on April 14, 1935. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in May 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in May 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A tornado in March 2026 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Major County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Major County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Major County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Major County ranks 5th of the eight; Blaine County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine County, OK | 74 | 18.1% | 27.8% |
| Garfield County, OK | 52 | 12.8% | 25.6% |
| Woodward County, OK | 41 | 15.0% | 26.5% |
| Alfalfa County, OK | 40 | 18.1% | 26.0% |
| Woods County, OK | 34 | 14.9% | 24.1% |
| Dewey County, OK | 29 | 12.9% | 24.5% |
| Major County, OK | 27 | 12.5% | 25.3% |
| Kingfisher County, OK | 23 | 10.9% | 17.5% |
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 Major County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Major County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 67th 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, Major County ranks 73rd of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Major 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 Major County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.