Benefit checks make up 36 cents of every dollar of income in Covington County, Alabama
In Covington County, 36.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Covington County's score
In Covington County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 90.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 10.7%, August 2025, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 90.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Covington 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.
Covington County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.7% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.5% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
-
- 90.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people469 · 202597th percentile
-
- 79.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.9% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability20.8% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,576 · 202485th percentile
-
- 48.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
-
- 40.5 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
-
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 Covington 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 Covington County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Covington County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Covington County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 39% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Covington County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Covington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.6% in 2010 to 18.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Covington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.3% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Covington County, Alabama.
How Covington County has changed
Covington County's population had its largest drop, from 37,843 in 1999 to 36,806 in 2004.
Covington County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 38,008 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Covington County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Covington County fell most sharply after its 1995 high, from 14,194 in 1995 to 13,029 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Covington County fell 14% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 14,194 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Covington County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 18.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,965 | 2024 $53,576 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Covington County's history
1821
Established December 17, 1821. Changed to Jones County August 6, 1868; original name restored October 10, 1868. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 42,417. The 2020 Census counted 37,570, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A flash flood in March 1998 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in March 2001 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Lightning in June 2015 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1975
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Covington County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Covington County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Covington County, in Alabama and Florida, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Covington County ranks 2nd of the nine; Conecuh County is highest, at 42.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conecuh County, AL | 97 | 22.7% | 42.4% |
| Butler County, AL | 94 | 20.3% | 32.2% |
| Escambia County, AL | 89 | 19.7% | 34.1% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 88 | 20.4% | 31.4% |
| Geneva County, AL | 86 | 17.1% | 34.7% |
| Covington County, AL | 83 | 18.9% | 36.2% |
| Coffee County, AL | 55 | 12.9% | 26.5% |
| Okaloosa County, FL | 51 | 10.6% | 22.5% |
| Walton County, FL | 50 | 10.6% | 13.4% |
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 Covington County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Covington County's poverty rate was 18.9% in 2024, 26th 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, Covington County ranks 31st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Covington 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.
-
Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
-
Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
-
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 Covington 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 Covington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.