In 2022, Social Security transfers in Defiance County totaled $177.93 million, amounting to $4,660 per capita, or 38.1% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicare was the second largest contributor, totaling $132.52 million, equating to $3,470 per capita and making up 28.3% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Ohio amounted to $44.59 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $3,793 per capita, or 32.5% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $137.32 billion, accounting for 20.2% of residents’ total income, with an average of $11,680 per resident.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Defiance County in 2022, accounting for $80.71 million, averaging $2,114 per capita, representing 17.3% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $38.71 million, averaging $1,014 per capita and comprising 8.3% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 20% of the population aged 65 and older, Defiance County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Defiance County, excluding government transfers was $35,066, which is far below the county’s total income of $47,310, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Defiance County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.7%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Defiance County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 6.7% (or $1,441 per capita) in 1970 to 25.9% (or $12,245 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County | 1 | 20.3% | 19.5% | 6% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 2.6% | $12,861 |
| Franklin County | 2 | 16% | 13.1% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 2.4% | $9,516 |
| Hamilton County | 3 | 15.7% | 16.6% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4% | 1.9% | $11,258 |
| Montgomery County | 4 | 22.9% | 18.6% | 7% | 5.8% | 5.1% | 2.7% | $12,604 |
| Summit County | 5 | 19% | 19.5% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 2.1% | $11,799 |
| Lucas County | 6 | 24.5% | 17.6% | 7% | 5.7% | 6.8% | 3.2% | $13,095 |
| Stark County | 7 | 23.4% | 20.5% | 8.2% | 6.1% | 4.8% | 2.4% | $12,543 |
| Butler County | 8 | 18.6% | 15.9% | 6.3% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 2% | $10,368 |
| Lorain County | 9 | 21% | 19.9% | 7.7% | 5.8% | 3.7% | 2.1% | $11,662 |
| Mahoning County | 10 | 28.3% | 22.5% | 9% | 7.3% | 6.6% | 3.2% | $14,659 |
| Trumbull County | 11 | 30.7% | 22.4% | 10.8% | 8.4% | 6.2% | 3% | $13,980 |
| Lake County | 12 | 19.5% | 21.7% | 7.9% | 5.6% | 3% | 1.3% | $11,659 |
| Clermont County | 13 | 18% | 18.4% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 3.2% | 1.4% | $11,256 |
| Warren County | 14 | 11.3% | 15.7% | 4.6% | 3% | 1.8% | 0.7% | $8,287 |
| Licking County | 15 | 18.6% | 17.4% | 6.6% | 4.7% | 3.7% | 1.8% | $10,378 |
| Clark County | 16 | 29% | 20.2% | 8.8% | 7.4% | 7.2% | 3.2% | $13,682 |
| Medina County | 17 | 15.2% | 19.7% | 6.6% | 4.5% | 2% | 0.8% | $10,011 |
| Greene County | 18 | 17.7% | 18.6% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 2.6% | 1.3% | $10,767 |
| Portage County | 19 | 20% | 18.2% | 7.2% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 1.6% | $10,695 |
| Fairfield County | 20 | 18% | 16.6% | 6.2% | 4.9% | 3.3% | 1.8% | $9,911 |
| Richland County | 21 | 28.6% | 20.1% | 9.5% | 8% | 5.8% | 3% | $12,851 |
| Delaware County | 22 | 8% | 15% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 0.9% | 0.4% | $7,065 |
| Ashtabula County | 23 | 32.4% | 20.2% | 9.3% | 8.3% | 8.6% | 3.4% | $15,021 |
| Columbiana County | 24 | 31% | 22% | 10.3% | 8.4% | 6.8% | 3% | $13,984 |
| Allen County | 25 | 26.1% | 19% | 8.2% | 7.7% | 5.4% | 2.7% | $13,103 |
| Scioto County | 26 | 36.6% | 19% | 7.7% | 9.3% | 11.3% | 4.7% | $16,952 |
| Wood County | 27 | 16.6% | 16.6% | 6.3% | 4.5% | 2.6% | 1.2% | $9,288 |
| Muskingum County | 28 | 28.5% | 18.6% | 8.5% | 8.2% | 6.1% | 3.4% | $14,024 |
| Miami County | 29 | 19.4% | 19.4% | 7.4% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 1.5% | $10,869 |
| Wayne County | 30 | 19.1% | 19% | 7.1% | 5.2% | 3.6% | 1.7% | $10,169 |
| Tuscarawas County | 31 | 22.6% | 20.2% | 7.9% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 2.1% | $11,729 |
| Ross County | 32 | 29.9% | 18% | 8.4% | 7.7% | 7.2% | 3.6% | $13,374 |
| Jefferson County | 33 | 34.7% | 22.5% | 10.9% | 9.2% | 6.9% | 3.4% | $15,766 |
| Erie County | 34 | 22.9% | 23.7% | 8.3% | 6.8% | 3.8% | 2% | $13,503 |
| Geauga County | 35 | 11.8% | 22.3% | 5.5% | 3.5% | 1.3% | 0.5% | $9,846 |
| Lawrence County | 36 | 34.3% | 19.5% | 9.2% | 8% | 9.4% | 4% | $16,256 |
| Belmont County | 37 | 29% | 21.9% | 9.7% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 2.5% | $13,518 |
| Marion County | 38 | 30.7% | 18.7% | 9.5% | 8% | 7.2% | 3.5% | $13,005 |
| Washington County | 39 | 27.1% | 22.4% | 9.3% | 7.7% | 5.1% | 2.3% | $13,835 |
| Knox County | 40 | 24.5% | 19.3% | 7.6% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 1.9% | $12,537 |
| Hancock County | 41 | 18.1% | 18.4% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 1.5% | $10,277 |
| Sandusky County | 42 | 26.4% | 20.3% | 9.3% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 2.1% | $12,812 |
| Seneca County | 43 | 28.4% | 19.3% | 8.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% | 2.4% | $13,528 |
| Huron County | 44 | 25.6% | 18.5% | 8.6% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 2.6% | $12,188 |
| Athens County | 45 | 27.8% | 15.3% | 6.3% | 7.1% | 6.7% | 3.7% | $11,651 |
| Pickaway County | 46 | 20.4% | 16.3% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 2% | $10,388 |
| Ashland County | 47 | 24.7% | 20.5% | 8.9% | 6.7% | 4.4% | 1.9% | $11,630 |
| Darke County | 48 | 22% | 20.5% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 1.7% | $11,569 |
| Ottawa County | 49 | 23.8% | 27.3% | 9.3% | 6.9% | 4.1% | 1.3% | $14,894 |
| Crawford County | 50 | 30.5% | 21.5% | 10.1% | 9% | 6.2% | 2.9% | $14,189 |
| Brown County | 51 | 28.8% | 19.3% | 9.1% | 8% | 6.7% | 2.8% | $13,203 |
| Guernsey County | 52 | 31.6% | 20.4% | 8.9% | 8.2% | 8.6% | 3% | $15,049 |
| Highland County | 53 | 29.8% | 19.3% | 8.7% | 7.7% | 7.4% | 3.3% | $13,134 |
| Logan County | 54 | 24.9% | 19.4% | 8.9% | 7.5% | 4.3% | 2.2% | $12,106 |
| Clinton County | 55 | 24.7% | 18.8% | 7.9% | 6.9% | 5% | 2.6% | $12,363 |
| Coshocton County | 56 | 32.5% | 20.1% | 9.9% | 9.5% | 7.4% | 3.2% | $13,720 |
| Auglaize County | 57 | 19.5% | 19.6% | 7.4% | 6% | 3.2% | 1.4% | $10,909 |
| Gallia County | 58 | 37.3% | 20% | 9% | 8.2% | 12.6% | 4.1% | $17,187 |
| Shelby County | 59 | 20.2% | 18% | 7.6% | 5.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% | $10,474 |
| Preble County | 60 | 25.2% | 20.2% | 8.9% | 7.2% | 5.2% | 2.1% | $12,257 |
| Perry County | 61 | 29.5% | 18.3% | 8.5% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 3.3% | $13,557 |
| Fulton County | 62 | 21.5% | 19.6% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 1.6% | $11,327 |
| Defiance County | 63 | 25.9% | 20% | 9.8% | 7.3% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $12,245 |
| Union County | 64 | 10% | 13.5% | 4% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 0.8% | $6,954 |
| Jackson County | 65 | 34.5% | 17.9% | 9.4% | 8.2% | 9.5% | 4.2% | $14,176 |
| Madison County | 66 | 20.2% | 16.6% | 6.5% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% | $10,548 |
| Williams County | 67 | 24.7% | 20.3% | 9.1% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 2.2% | $12,116 |
| Champaign County | 68 | 23.4% | 19.4% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 4.8% | 2.1% | $11,419 |
| Pike County | 69 | 34.6% | 18.6% | 8.6% | 7.2% | 11.4% | 4.4% | $16,025 |
| Adams County | 70 | 36% | 18.7% | 8.6% | 9.9% | 10.4% | 4.4% | $15,634 |
| Mercer County | 71 | 16.4% | 19.3% | 6.5% | 5% | 2.3% | 1.2% | $10,108 |
| Fayette County | 72 | 29.2% | 18.2% | 8.1% | 7.1% | 8.5% | 3.2% | $13,709 |
| Hocking County | 73 | 30.9% | 20.2% | 9% | 7.5% | 7.9% | 3.9% | $14,061 |
| Morrow County | 74 | 22.6% | 19% | 8.2% | 5.3% | 5% | 2.1% | $10,783 |
| Putnam County | 75 | 17.3% | 18.7% | 6.7% | 5.4% | 2.7% | 1.1% | $10,275 |
| Hardin County | 76 | 28.2% | 16.2% | 9.4% | 8.3% | 5.1% | 2.7% | $11,260 |
| Henry County | 77 | 23.2% | 19.7% | 8.5% | 6.6% | 4.9% | 1.5% | $12,136 |
| Carroll County | 78 | 25.8% | 22.5% | 9.9% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 2.2% | $12,226 |
| Van Wert County | 79 | 22.7% | 20.2% | 8.7% | 5.9% | 4.4% | 1.9% | $11,259 |
| Meigs County | 80 | 34.6% | 21% | 10% | 8.3% | 8.7% | 4.5% | $14,543 |
| Holmes County | 81 | 11.4% | 14.5% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 1.1% | $6,422 |
| Wyandot County | 82 | 21% | 20.9% | 7.8% | 6.4% | 3.6% | 1.5% | $11,633 |
| Paulding County | 83 | 24.4% | 19.8% | 9.1% | 7.1% | 4.2% | 2.1% | $11,871 |
| Harrison County | 84 | 32.2% | 22.5% | 10.1% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 2.8% | $14,860 |
| Monroe County | 85 | 35.3% | 23.7% | 12.4% | 10.2% | 6.7% | 2.8% | $14,906 |
| Morgan County | 86 | 31.7% | 22.1% | 9.5% | 7.5% | 8% | 3.4% | $13,673 |
| Vinton County | 87 | 36% | 19.1% | 8.8% | 7.6% | 10.8% | 5.3% | $14,610 |
| Noble County | 88 | 29.7% | 29.7% | 10.6% | 7.1% | 6.2% | 2.7% | $9,243 |
