In Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Roger Mills County, 14.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roger Mills County's score
In Roger Mills County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 59.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Roger Mills 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.
Even so, Roger Mills County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (20.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,451 · 202424th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.3% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 38.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202615th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.5% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.2% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people30.3 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 6.4 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 rent7.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Roger Mills 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 Roger Mills County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Roger Mills County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Roger Mills County had its largest rise, from 10.1% in 2014 to 21.4% in 2019.
In Roger Mills County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Roger Mills County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.7% in 2016 to 7.1% in 2017.
The share of households in Roger Mills County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2012, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 4.3% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma.
How Roger Mills County has changed
Roger Mills County's population had its largest drop, from 5,590 in 1984 to 4,302 in 1989.
Roger Mills County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 41% since
High on the chart: 5,590 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Roger Mills County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 847, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 863 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,348 | 2024 $77,451 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Roger Mills County's history
1907
County E was created and later renamed Day County; Day County was abolished and Roger Mills County was created at statehood on November 16, 1907. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 14,164. The 2020 Census counted 3,442, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1955
A tornado in May 1955 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in May 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in March 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in February 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Roger Mills County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Roger Mills County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Roger Mills County, in Oklahoma and Texas, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Roger Mills County ranks 3rd of the seven; Wheeler County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckham County, OK | 74 | 20.2% | 29.2% |
| Ellis County, OK | 55 | 12.8% | 21.8% |
| Wheeler County, TX | 47 | 13.5% | 34.4% |
| Custer County, OK | 44 | 16.1% | 24.1% |
| Hemphill County, TX | 31 | 10.2% | 13.6% |
| Dewey County, OK | 29 | 12.9% | 24.5% |
| Roger Mills County, OK | 24 | 14.1% | 26.0% |
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 Roger Mills County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Roger Mills County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 57th 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, Roger Mills County ranks 75th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roger Mills 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 Roger Mills 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 Roger Mills County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.