About one in five people in Cullman County, Alabama, has a disability
In Cullman County, 18.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cullman County's score
In Cullman County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 77.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 302.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cullman 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.
Cullman County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.9% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people302.1 · 202591st percentile
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- 71.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.2% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,722 · 202455th percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 29.9 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 rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd 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 Cullman 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 Cullman County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cullman County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cullman County had its largest rise, from 20.2% in 2004 to 26.2% in 2009.
In Cullman County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cullman County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cullman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2010 to 12.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Cullman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cullman County, Alabama.
How Cullman County has changed
Cullman County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 86,898 in 2019 to 92,604 in 2024.
Cullman County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 92,604, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 78,131. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cullman County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cullman County rose by about half to 31,028, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 24,074. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cullman County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,311 | 2024 $64,722 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Cullman County's history
1877
Organized January 24, 1877 from Blount, Morgan, and Winston counties. March 6, 1877 set as day for residents to select county seat location. Wikipedia
1963
A tornado in March 1963 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in January 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in February 1995 did $5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 87,866, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cullman County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cullman County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cullman County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cullman County ranks 5th of the seven; Winston County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County, AL | 75 | 18.1% | 29.9% |
| Winston County, AL | 68 | 16.1% | 33.1% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 59 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| Marshall County, AL | 58 | 15.9% | 26.0% |
| Cullman County, AL | 58 | 14.1% | 25.7% |
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 Cullman County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Cullman County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 56th 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, Cullman County ranks 58th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cullman 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 Cullman 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 Cullman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.