Indiana County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 92 counties in Indiana, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 41.0. 11counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Indiana Snapshot
92 Counties Scored
41.0 Mean Score
41.1 Median Score
69.8 Howard County Most Distressed
15.7 Hamilton County Least Distressed
2 Most distressed fifth9 Second-most distressed fifth22 Middle fifth36 Second-least distressed fifth23 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution Indiana County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 92 Indiana counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Indiana's 92 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Indiana Counties
92 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 478 | Howard County | 69.8 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 2 | 479 | Lake County | 69.8 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 3 | 692 | Marion County | 65.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 4 | 724 | Vigo County | 65.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 5 | 760 | Delaware County | 64.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 954 | Fayette County | 61.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 7 | 987 | Grant County | 60.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 8 | 991 | Wayne County | 60.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 9 | 1,077 | Madison County | 59.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 10 | 1,234 | Miami County | 56.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 11 | 1,243 | Scott County | 56.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 12 | 1,267 | LaPorte County | 56.0 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 13 | 1,293 | Blackford County | 55.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 14 | 1,340 | Starke County | 54.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 15 | 1,355 | St. Joseph County | 54.3 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 16 | 1,415 | Cass County | 53.4 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 17 | 1,464 | Washington County | 52.3 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 18 | 1,485 | Vanderburgh County | 51.9 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 19 | 1,608 | Fulton County | 49.9 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 20 | 1,627 | Vermillion County | 49.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 21 | 1,631 | Newton County | 49.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 22 | 1,670 | Elkhart County | 48.7 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 23 | 1,725 | Jennings County | 47.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 24 | 1,728 | Crawford County | 47.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 25 | 1,731 | Clark County | 47.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 26 | 1,736 | Sullivan County | 47.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 27 | 1,742 | Shelby County | 47.5 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 28 | 1,751 | Switzerland County | 47.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 29 | 1,804 | Knox County | 46.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 30 | 1,806 | Randolph County | 46.4 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 31 | 1,825 | Ohio County | 46.1 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 32 | 1,855 | Allen County | 45.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 33 | 1,859 | Morgan County | 45.5 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 34 | 1,952 | Tippecanoe County | 43.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 35 | 1,953 | Henry County | 43.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 36 | 1,961 | Jefferson County | 43.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 1,964 | Porter County | 43.6 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 38 | 1,966 | Benton County | 43.6 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 39 | 1,974 | Greene County | 43.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 40 | 2,018 | Rush County | 42.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 41 | 2,047 | Jay County | 42.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 42 | 2,062 | Clay County | 42.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 43 | 2,089 | Brown County | 41.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,090 | Lawrence County | 41.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 45 | 2,101 | Bartholomew County | 41.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 46 | 2,106 | Orange County | 41.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 47 | 2,109 | Owen County | 41.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 48 | 2,128 | Jackson County | 40.6 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 49 | 2,144 | Montgomery County | 40.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 50 | 2,149 | Parke County | 40.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 51 | 2,191 | Decatur County | 39.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 52 | 2,236 | Wabash County | 38.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 2,284 | White County | 37.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 54 | 2,288 | Monroe County | 37.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 2,323 | Floyd County | 37.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 56 | 2,334 | Pike County | 36.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 57 | 2,349 | Kosciusko County | 36.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 58 | 2,382 | Perry County | 35.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 59 | 2,391 | Martin County | 35.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 60 | 2,399 | Johnson County | 35.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 61 | 2,400 | Jasper County | 35.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 62 | 2,403 | Clinton County | 35.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 63 | 2,413 | Noble County | 35.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 64 | 2,419 | Ripley County | 34.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 65 | 2,482 | Harrison County | 33.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 66 | 2,492 | Dearborn County | 33.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 67 | 2,494 | Steuben County | 33.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 68 | 2,501 | Huntington County | 32.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 69 | 2,506 | Pulaski County | 32.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 70 | 2,516 | DeKalb County | 32.5 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 71 | 2,563 | Fountain County | 31.6 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 72 | 2,606 | Hendricks County | 30.9 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 73 | 2,614 | Marshall County | 30.8 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 74 | 2,620 | Putnam County | 30.5 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 75 | 2,641 | Gibson County | 30.1 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 76 | 2,646 | Union County | 29.8 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 77 | 2,663 | Tipton County | 29.6 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 78 | 2,678 | Wells County | 29.1 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 79 | 2,757 | Posey County | 26.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 80 | 2,763 | Warren County | 26.8 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 81 | 2,777 | Adams County | 26.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 82 | 2,784 | Daviess County | 26.2 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 83 | 2,789 | Hancock County | 26.1 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 84 | 2,795 | Carroll County | 25.9 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 85 | 2,823 | Whitley County | 25.1 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 86 | 2,851 | Warrick County | 24.2 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 87 | 2,932 | Franklin County | 22.0 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 88 | 2,984 | Spencer County | 19.8 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 89 | 3,011 | LaGrange County | 18.5 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 90 | 3,014 | Boone County | 18.4 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 91 | 3,022 | Dubois County | 18.0 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 92 | 3,056 | Hamilton County | 15.7 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 2 Indiana counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 9 Indiana counties
Middle fifth — 22 Indiana counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 36 Indiana counties
Least distressed fifth — 23 Indiana counties