About one in five people in Noble County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Noble County, 19.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Noble County's score
In Noble County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 74.2. About three in ten people with a credit file (30.5%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 75% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Noble 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.
Noble County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (16.8%, fiscal year 2027) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.5% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people193.9 · 202573rd percentile
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- 70.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 50.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability19.3% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,288 · 202454th percentile
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- 37.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 27.8 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.8% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Noble 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 Noble County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Noble County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Noble County had its largest drop, from 25.4% in 2009 to 18.9% in 2014.
In Noble County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Noble County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Noble County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2011 to 15.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Noble County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.2% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Noble County, Oklahoma.
How Noble County has changed
Noble County's population had its largest rise, from 10,368 in 1974 to 11,465 in 1979.
Noble County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 11,995 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Noble County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Noble County rose by about a third to 4,672, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 4,587. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Noble County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,159 | 2024 $65,288 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Noble County's history
1893
After the 1893 opening of the Cherokee Outlet for settlement by non-Indians, the land was divided into counties. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 15,139. The 2020 Census counted 10,924, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A thunderstorm in April 1987 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in May 1999 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Noble County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Noble County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Noble County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Noble County ranks 3rd of the seven; Pawnee County is highest, at 37.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County, OK | 78 | 15.3% | 25.6% |
| Pawnee County, OK | 78 | 17.5% | 37.2% |
| Kay County, OK | 73 | 16.8% | 31.8% |
| Payne County, OK | 68 | 20.3% | 22.4% |
| Noble County, OK | 53 | 13.1% | 26.3% |
| Garfield County, OK | 52 | 12.8% | 25.6% |
| Logan County, OK | 49 | 9.3% | 19.8% |
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 Noble County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Noble County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 63rd 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, Noble County ranks 55th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Noble 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 Noble County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.