Unemployment in Elmore County, Alabama, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Elmore County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Elmore County's score
In Elmore County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 77.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 18.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Elmore 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.
Even so, Elmore County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (463.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.0% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people463.3 · 202597th percentile
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- 64.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 37.4 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.2% · fiscal year 202715th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,024 · 202420th percentile
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- 18.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20264th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st 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 Elmore 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 Elmore County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Elmore County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Elmore County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Elmore County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Elmore County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.9% in 2012 to 11.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Elmore County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Elmore County, Alabama.
How Elmore County has changed
Elmore County's population had its largest rise, from 55,734 in 1994 to 64,668 in 1999.
Elmore County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 91,042, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 44,983. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Elmore County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Elmore County had its largest rise in the last span, from 19,290 in 2020 to 22,162 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Elmore County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 22,162, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 19,290. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Elmore County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,448 | 2024 $80,024 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Elmore County's history
1866
Established February 15, 1866, from portions of Autauga, Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Montgomery counties. Wikipedia
1999
A thunderstorm in March 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in May 2009 did $4.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $50 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Lightning in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 87,977, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Elmore County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Elmore County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Elmore County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Elmore County ranks 6th of the seven; Coosa County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, AL | 97 | 30.8% | 35.7% |
| Montgomery County, AL | 93 | 20.2% | 24.8% |
| Coosa County, AL | 77 | 19.1% | 36.0% |
| Chilton County, AL | 72 | 15.4% | 27.5% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 71 | 17.0% | 31.2% |
| Autauga County, AL | 53 | 12.9% | 23.0% |
| Elmore County, AL | 44 | 11.1% | 24.5% |
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 Elmore County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Elmore County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 62nd 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, Elmore County ranks 63rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Elmore 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 Elmore 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 Elmore County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.