In Bibb County, Alabama, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Bibb County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bibb County's score
In Bibb County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 94.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 402.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 93.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bibb 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.
Bibb County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people without health insurance (6.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.2% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people402.4 · 202596th percentile
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- 93.5 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 rent28.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 79.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.1% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.6% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.8% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,359 · 202469th percentile
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- 47.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.9% · 2020 to 202484th 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 Bibb 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 Bibb County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bibb County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bibb County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 31.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Bibb County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bibb County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.4% in 2018 to 16.2% in 2019.
The share of households in Bibb County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 20.7%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 8.3% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bibb County, Alabama.
How Bibb County has changed
Bibb County's population had its largest rise, from 18,053 in 1994 to 20,560 in 1999.
Bibb County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22,258
High on the chart: 22,941 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bibb County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bibb County rose by about a quarter to 4,917, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 4,917 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bibb County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 21.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,604 | 2024 $60,359 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Bibb County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 23,144. The 2020 Census counted 22,293, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $25 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $14 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bibb County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bibb County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Bibb County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bibb County ranks 3rd of the seven; Perry County is highest, at 46.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County, AL | 99 | 29.8% | 46.0% |
| Hale County, AL | 96 | 21.0% | 35.7% |
| Bibb County, AL | 93 | 21.6% | 31.8% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 82 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 74 | 16.5% | 22.8% |
| Chilton County, AL | 72 | 15.4% | 27.5% |
| Shelby County, AL | 21 | 6.8% | 14.2% |
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 Bibb County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Bibb County's poverty rate was 21.6% in 2024, 14th 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, Bibb County ranks 18th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bibb 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 Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
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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 Bibb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.