About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Woodward County, Oklahoma, have a job
In Woodward County, 14.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Woodward County's score
In Woodward County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 69.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Woodward 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, Woodward County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (19.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance12.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,279 · 202463rd percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people130.3 · 202551st percentile
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- 54.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.9% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 24.3 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 rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 22.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Woodward 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 Woodward County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Woodward County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Woodward County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Woodward County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Woodward County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.5% in 2019 to 8.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Woodward County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 9.2%
Low on the chart: 7.5% 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, Woodward County, Oklahoma.
How Woodward County has changed
Woodward County's population had its largest drop, from 23,034 in 1984 to 19,117 in 1989.
Woodward County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 23,034 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Woodward County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Woodward County had its largest drop, from 9,679 in 2015 to 8,061 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Woodward County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 9,679 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Woodward County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,580 | 2024 $62,279 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Woodward County's history
1893
Created in 1893. Wikipedia
1956
Natural gas discovered in Woodward County in 1956. Wikipedia
1975
Iodine extraction from oil field brine with plant built near Woodward in 1975, supplying 14% of nation's iodine. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 21,172. The 2020 Census counted 20,470, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A tornado in April 2012 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Woodward County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Woodward County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Woodward County, one scores higher. Of the group, Woodward County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (26.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, OK | 55 | 12.8% | 21.8% |
| Woodward County, OK | 41 | 15.0% | 26.5% |
| Woods County, OK | 34 | 14.9% | 24.1% |
| Dewey County, OK | 29 | 12.9% | 24.5% |
| Major County, OK | 27 | 12.5% | 25.3% |
| Harper County, OK | 26 | 11.2% | 20.5% |
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 Woodward County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Woodward County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 52nd 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, Woodward County ranks 63rd of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Woodward 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 Woodward 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 Woodward County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.