In Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (44.8%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pushmataha County's score
In Pushmataha County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.5. About one in four people (28.4%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 84.2.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Pushmataha County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (74.1, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Pushmataha County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 90.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability28.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,392 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance18.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 84.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.6% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202682nd percentile
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- 76.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.8% · Q4 202584th percentile
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- 50.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.1% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.1 · 202521st percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Pushmataha County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pushmataha County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pushmataha County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 45 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 63 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 25 cents.
In Pushmataha County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Pushmataha County, Oklahoma: 44.8% and 42.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.8% of all personal income in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Pushmataha County, 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Pushmataha County has changed
The number of people living in Pushmataha County grew by about 12% between 1969 and 2024, from 9,682 to 10,800. The number of jobs located there grew by about 35% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.8% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,682 | 2024 10,800 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,893 | 2024 2,559 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.3% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,470 | 2024 $48,392 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 25.2% | 2024 44.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Pushmataha County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,466. The 2020 Census counted 10,812, 56% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pushmataha County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Pushmataha County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pushmataha County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pushmataha County ranks 2nd of the seven; Latimer County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choctaw County, OK | 89 | 26.4% | 41.6% |
| Le Flore County, OK | 88 | 19.2% | 37.4% |
| Latimer County, OK | 87 | 21.1% | 44.8% |
| McCurtain County, OK | 85 | 21.2% | 35.1% |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 83 | 18.8% | 34.3% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 82 | 18.8% | 44.8% |
| Atoka County, OK | 79 | 19.5% | 36.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Pushmataha County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Pushmataha County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 26th 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, Pushmataha County ranks 23rd of 77 in the state.
Pushmataha County in photographs
Places in Pushmataha County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Pushmataha County Courthouse in Antlers, Oklahoma, United States.
Kiamichi River Bridge on SR 3 eastbound, east of Antlers, Oklahoma.
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma?
18.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 26.5%.
Is Pushmataha County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Pushmataha County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 26th 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, Pushmataha County ranks 23rd of 77 in the state.
What is the population of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma?
About 10,800 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,812, 56% of the county's peak of 19,466 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pushmataha County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Pushmataha County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Pushmataha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.