In McIntosh County, Oklahoma, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 46 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives McIntosh County's score
In McIntosh County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.6. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (36.7%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 89.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McIntosh 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.
McIntosh County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 89.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.9% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.0% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability25.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance18.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,124 · 202489th percentile
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- 78.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.0% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people224.5 · 202580th percentile
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- 78.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.5% · second quarter of 202685th percentile
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- 52.4 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th 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 McIntosh 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 McIntosh County, 25.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McIntosh County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McIntosh County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Oklahoma
In McIntosh County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McIntosh County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2009 to 16.9% in 2010.
The share of households in McIntosh County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20.4%
High on the chart: 20.9% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McIntosh County, Oklahoma.
How McIntosh County has changed
McIntosh County's population had its largest rise, from 13,132 in 1974 to 15,221 in 1979.
McIntosh County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19,710
High on the chart: 20,160 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McIntosh County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McIntosh County rose 41% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,833. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McIntosh County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.5% | 2024 18.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,231 | 2024 $51,124 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 McIntosh County's history
1825
Creek Lower Towns removed to Indian Territory via Treaty of Indian Springs. Wikipedia
1907
McIntosh County was established at statehood in 1907, when the population was 17,975. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 26,404. The 2020 Census counted 18,941, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1960
A tornado in May 1960 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in August 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in May 2015 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Lightning in June 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McIntosh County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
McIntosh County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McIntosh County, two score higher. Of the group, McIntosh County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (45.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okmulgee County, OK | 95 | 19.6% | 39.1% |
| Muskogee County, OK | 94 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| McIntosh County, OK | 93 | 18.9% | 45.9% |
| Okfuskee County, OK | 93 | 24.3% | 42.5% |
| Hughes County, OK | 88 | 22.4% | 31.7% |
| Haskell County, OK | 84 | 20.9% | 40.1% |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 83 | 18.8% | 34.3% |
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 McIntosh County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, McIntosh County's poverty rate was 18.9% in 2024, 24th 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, McIntosh County ranks 6th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McIntosh 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 McIntosh 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 McIntosh County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.