About one in four people in Seminole County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Seminole County, 24.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Seminole County's score
In Seminole County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.3. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (32.3%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Seminole 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.
Seminole County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.3% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 89.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.8% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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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 line19.7% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.4% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability24.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance17.1% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,893 · 202490th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.7% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people250.4 · 202585th percentile
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- 53.6 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th 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 Seminole 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 Seminole County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Seminole County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Seminole County had its largest rise, from 19.1% in 1984 to 25.4% in 1989.
In Seminole County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 37.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Seminole County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Seminole County getting SNAP food aid rose to 22.9%, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2019 and 2020
Low on the chart: 19.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Seminole County, Oklahoma.
How Seminole County has changed
Seminole County's population had its largest drop, from 28,552 in 1984 to 25,922 in 1989.
Seminole County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 28,552 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Seminole County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Seminole County rose most sharply from its first year (6,811 in 1990) to 7,495 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Seminole County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 7,807 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Seminole County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.4% | 2024 19.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,696 | 2024 $50,893 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Seminole County's history
1907
Seminole County was established in 1907 with Oklahoma's admission to the Union. Wikipedia
1923
Wewoka oil field and Cromwell oil field discovered. Wikipedia
1926
Fixico No. 1 oil well brought in Seminole City Field July 16, 1926. Wikipedia
1927
Wewoka population tripled during oil boom 1925-1927 then declined as oil production decreased. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 79,621. The 2020 Census counted 23,556, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in February 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in June 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in June 1995 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Seminole County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Seminole County beside its neighbors
Seminole County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Seminole County ranks 2nd of the five; Okfuskee County is highest, at 42.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole County, OK | 97 | 19.7% | 37.5% |
| Okfuskee County, OK | 93 | 24.3% | 42.5% |
| Hughes County, OK | 88 | 22.4% | 31.7% |
| Pottawatomie County, OK | 85 | 16.9% | 29.8% |
| Pontotoc County, OK | 49 | 13.2% | 26.9% |
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 Seminole County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Seminole County's poverty rate was 19.7% in 2024, 15th 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, Seminole County ranks 1st of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Seminole 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 Seminole 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 Seminole County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.