About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Chilton County, Alabama, is not working
In Chilton County, 25.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chilton County's score
In Chilton County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 85.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 385.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chilton 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.
Chilton County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.5% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people385.5 · 202595th percentile
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- 83.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.6% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.7% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,063 · 202452nd percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 39.3 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Chilton 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 Chilton County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chilton County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chilton County had its largest rise, from 20.2% in 2004 to 26.2% in 2009.
In Chilton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Chilton County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chilton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.3% in 2019 to 14.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Chilton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chilton County, Alabama.
How Chilton County has changed
Chilton County's population had its largest rise, from 34,739 in 1994 to 38,862 in 1999.
Chilton County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 47,262, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 44,003. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chilton County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chilton County rose by about half to 9,431, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 7,700. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chilton County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,144 | 2024 $66,063 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Chilton County's history
1868
Established December 30, 1868, from Autauga, Bibb, Perry and Shelby counties. Originally named Baker County; renamed Chilton County on December 17, 1874. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in November 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in February 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 45,014, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chilton County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chilton County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Chilton County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chilton County ranks 5th of the eight; Perry County is highest, at 46.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, AL | 99 | 29.6% | 39.8% |
| Perry County, AL | 99 | 29.8% | 46.0% |
| Bibb County, AL | 93 | 21.6% | 31.8% |
| Coosa County, AL | 77 | 19.1% | 36.0% |
| Chilton County, AL | 72 | 15.4% | 27.5% |
| Autauga County, AL | 53 | 12.9% | 23.0% |
| Elmore County, AL | 44 | 11.1% | 24.5% |
| 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 Chilton County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Chilton County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 51st 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, Chilton County ranks 43rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chilton 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 Chilton 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 Chilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.