Unemployment in Baldwin County, Alabama, is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Baldwin County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Baldwin County's score
In Baldwin County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 70.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.1. Unemployment averaged 2.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Baldwin County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (328.2, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Baldwin County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 70.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.3% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people328.2 · 202592nd percentile
-
- 55.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.5% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
-
- 55.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.5% · Q4 202554th percentile
-
- 32.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,519 · 202417th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
-
- 23.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.9% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20267th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Baldwin County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Baldwin County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Baldwin County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 24 cents. Benefit checks were 22 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Baldwin County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Baldwin County, Alabama: 22.3% and 54.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 22.3% of all personal income in Baldwin County, Alabama (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Baldwin County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Baldwin County has changed
The number of people living in Baldwin County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 56,951 to 261,608. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.3% in 1990 to 2.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 56,951 | 2024 261,608 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 27,710 | 2024 85,118 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,043 | 2024 $82,519 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.4% | 2024 22.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Baldwin County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 231,767, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1809
Established December 21, 1809. Wikipedia
1979
Baldwin County repeatedly declared disaster area from multiple hurricanes. Wikipedia
2005
Lightning: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Flash flood: $27 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Baldwin County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Baldwin County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Baldwin County, in Alabama and Florida, score higher than it does. Of the group, Baldwin County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Monroe County gets the largest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, AL | 95 | 21.2% | 37.4% |
| Clarke County, AL | 91 | 17.8% | 35.7% |
| Mobile County, AL | 91 | 16.7% | 27.2% |
| Escambia County, AL | 89 | 19.7% | 34.1% |
| Escambia County, FL | 89 | 14.5% | 25.9% |
| Washington County, AL | 67 | 17.8% | 34.9% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 44 | 10.5% | 22.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Baldwin County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Baldwin County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 63rd highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Baldwin County ranks 64th of 67 in the state.
Baldwin County in photographs
Places in Baldwin County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Full-scale replica of Stonehenge located in Baldwin County, Alabama.
Baldwin County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Baldwin County, Alabama?
10.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 15.0%.
Is Baldwin County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Baldwin County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 63rd highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Baldwin County ranks 64th of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Baldwin County, Alabama?
About 261,608 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 231,767, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Baldwin County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
-
Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Baldwin County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Baldwin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.