About two in five people in Bullock County, Alabama, live below the poverty line
In Bullock County, 36.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bullock County's score
In Bullock County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.0. About one in three renters (35.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 95.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bullock 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.
Bullock County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 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 rent35.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector46.5% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people394.1 · 2025top 5%
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- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.6% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind14.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score61.7% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 84.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line36.7% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line41.8% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$36,826 · 2024top 5%
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- 37.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th 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 Bullock 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 Bullock County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bullock County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bullock County had its largest rise, from 22.9% in 1979 to 27.5% in 1984.
In Bullock County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 34.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Bullock County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bullock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 28.1% in 2022 to 32.9% in 2023.
The share of households in Bullock County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2012, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 19.8% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bullock County, Alabama.
How Bullock County has changed
Bullock County's population fell by about a fifth to 9,901, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
Biggest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 11,141. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bullock County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Bullock County had its largest drop, from 3,536 in 2000 to 3,149 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Bullock County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 3,536 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bullock County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.5% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.1% | 2024 36.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,273 | 2024 $36,826 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bullock County's history
1830
The Creek Indians were completely removed from the Bullock County area after 1830 following the Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) which ceded much of Alabama and Georgia to the US government. Wikipedia
1866
December 5 (created), 1866. Wikipedia
1877
By 1877 the boll weevil had migrated into Bullock County cotton fields from Mexico, and the area's economy was further depressed. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 31,944. The 2020 Census counted 10,357, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bullock County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bullock County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bullock County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bullock County ranks 4th of the six; Barbour County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | 98 | 20.2% | 35.5% |
| Macon County, AL | 97 | 30.8% | 35.7% |
| Bullock County, AL | 96 | 36.7% | 34.0% |
| Pike County, AL | 95 | 22.8% | 27.6% |
| Barbour County, AL | 95 | 28.1% | 38.3% |
| Montgomery County, AL | 93 | 20.2% | 24.8% |
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 Bullock County the poorest county in Alabama?
Yes, Bullock County's poverty rate was 36.7% in 2024, the highest of 67 counties in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bullock County ranks 11th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bullock 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.
Download the CSV for Bullock 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 Bullock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.