About three in ten people with a credit file in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Tulsa County, 28.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 69% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tulsa County's score
In Tulsa County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 69.0. Late payments on loans come next, at 65.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tulsa 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.
Tulsa County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.3%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($70,089, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.5% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.3 · 202568th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.8% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 59.5 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,089 · 202440th percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202652nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th 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 Tulsa 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 Tulsa County, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tulsa County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Tulsa County moved most in two steps: 14.0% in 2009 to 10.1% in 2014; 10.1% in 2014 to 14.0% in 2019.
In Tulsa County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Tulsa County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tulsa County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 10.4% in 2010 to 11.1% in 2011; 11.8% in 2022 to 12.5% in 2023.
The share of households in Tulsa County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.8%
High on the chart: 12.9% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tulsa County, Oklahoma.
How Tulsa County has changed
Tulsa County's population nearly doubled to 693,514, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 506,414. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tulsa County, Oklahoma.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Tulsa County rose by about a third to 371,956, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 338,622. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tulsa County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,593 | 2024 $70,089 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Tulsa County's history
1907
Founded at statehood in 1907. Wikipedia
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in April 1993 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in April 2005 did $65 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 669,279, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in June 2023 did $160 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tulsa County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tulsa County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Tulsa County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tulsa County ranks 7th of the eight; Okmulgee County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okmulgee County, OK | 95 | 19.6% | 39.1% |
| Osage County, OK | 78 | 15.3% | 25.6% |
| Pawnee County, OK | 78 | 17.5% | 37.2% |
| Creek County, OK | 77 | 15.3% | 28.2% |
| Tulsa County, OK | 65 | 13.3% | 14.9% |
| Washington County, OK | 59 | 13.8% | 12.0% |
| Wagoner County, OK | 38 | 8.6% | 22.7% |
| 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 Tulsa County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Tulsa County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 61st 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, Tulsa County ranks 49th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tulsa 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 Tulsa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.