About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Nowata County, Oklahoma, are not working
In Nowata County, 30.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nowata County's score
In Nowata County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 78.9. About one in seven people (15.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 74.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Nowata 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.
Nowata County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (4.3%, August 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.6% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,783 · 202481st percentile
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- 74.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 59.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.5% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.1 · 202550th percentile
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- 49.9 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Nowata 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 Nowata County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nowata County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Nowata County had its largest drop, from 30.0% in 2009 to 24.9% in 2014.
In Nowata County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Nowata County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Nowata County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.0% in 2011 to 12.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Nowata County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.0% 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, Nowata County, Oklahoma.
How Nowata County has changed
Nowata County's population had its largest drop, from 11,517 in 1984 to 10,166 in 1989.
Nowata County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 11,517 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nowata County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Nowata County fell 5% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 1,868 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nowata County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,677 | 2024 $55,783 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Nowata County's history
1867
Cherokees and Delaware signed treaty in 1867 resulting in Delaware settlements near present towns of Delaware, Lenapah and Nowata. Wikipedia
1904
Oil and gas discovered near Nowata in 1904, established region's reputation for shallow oil field production. Wikipedia
1907
Established in 1907 with a population of 10,453. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 15,899. The 2020 Census counted 9,320, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A thunderstorm in August 2002 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in September 2012 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nowata County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nowata County beside its neighbors
Nowata County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Oklahoma and Kansas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nowata County ranks 2nd of the six; Craig County is highest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, KS | 72 | 14.6% | 32.9% |
| Nowata County, OK | 72 | 15.3% | 33.6% |
| Craig County, OK | 68 | 17.6% | 37.4% |
| Washington County, OK | 59 | 13.8% | 12.0% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Rogers County, OK | 34 | 7.9% | 21.6% |
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 Nowata County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Nowata County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 47th 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, Nowata County ranks 40th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nowata 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 Nowata 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 Nowata County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.