Butler County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.2 | 18,382 people · 9th most distressed in Alabama
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Butler County, AL shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.2 — 428th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Alabama, it ranks 9th of 67 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Butler County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.8 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.8
Poverty Rate 94
Income vs. State Median 84
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 83.0
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 47
Student Loan Delinquency 93
Auto Loan Delinquency 91
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 67.1
Uninsured Rate 78
Disability Rate 56
Housing Cost Burden 57.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 42
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 66
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 42
Homeownership Rate 76
Rent-to-Income Ratio 63
Employment & Wages 32.3
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 20
Business Formation Rate 58

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Butler County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Butler County
Butler County, AL 66.2 Serious —
Wilcox County, AL 66.9 Serious +0.8
Lowndes County, AL 65.3 Serious -0.9
Conecuh County, AL 64.0 Elevated -2.2
Monroe County, AL 59.1 Elevated -7.1
Covington County, AL 56.7 Elevated -9.5
Crenshaw County, AL 56.4 Elevated -9.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Butler County
Chickasaw County, MS 66.2 Serious +0.0
Allen Parish, LA 66.2 Serious -0.0
Boone County, WV 66.2 Serious -0.0
Washington County, FL 66.2 Serious -0.0
Burke County, GA 66.2 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Butler County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Butler County

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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-392-5660

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Butler County, Alabama?

    Butler County has a County Distress Index score of 66.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 428th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 9th in Alabama out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Butler County?

    The primary driver of distress in Butler County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Butler County compare to neighboring counties?

    Butler County (66.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wilcox County, AL (66.9); Lowndes County, AL (65.3); Conecuh County, AL (64.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Butler County?

    Butler County, Alabama has a population of approximately 18,382 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.