About one in four people in Marshall County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Marshall County, 22.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.1. About one in six people (18.1%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 73.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Marshall County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.3%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance18.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,563 · 202474th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd 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 collector30.7% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people162.8 · 202564th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.4% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 26.6 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 rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County had its largest rise, from 27.2% in 2004 to 30.9% in 2009.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 32.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.3% in 2010 to 9.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.3% 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, Marshall County, Oklahoma.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population doubled to 16,147, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 10,475. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County doubled to 5,498, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 5,498. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.0% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,324 | 2024 $58,563 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Marshall County's history
1837
Chickasaws began relocating to this area in 1837. Wikipedia
1842
Fort Washita built in 1842 to protect Chickasaw arrivals from raids. Wikipedia
1907
Created at statehood in 1907 from the former Pickens County of the Chickasaw Nation. Wikipedia
1941
State of Oklahoma relocated railroad line in 1941 to create Lake Texoma. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in April 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1959
Pure Oil Company camp destroyed by 1957 tornado and closed permanently in July 1959. Wikipedia
2001
A thunderstorm in February 2001 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 15,840. The 2020 Census counted 15,312, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Lightning in July 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1981
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Marshall County, in Oklahoma and Texas, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 2nd of the six; Johnston County is highest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Johnston County, OK | 83 | 21.5% | 34.8% |
| Bryan County, OK | 75 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Grayson County, TX | 70 | 11.0% | 24.4% |
| Love County, OK | 68 | 15.1% | 30.5% |
| Marshall County, OK | 65 | 14.6% | 32.7% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 54th 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, Marshall County ranks 46th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.