About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Etowah County, Alabama, are not working
In Etowah County, 28.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Etowah County's score
In Etowah County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 85.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 273.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 82.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Etowah 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.
Etowah County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people273.1 · 202587th percentile
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- 82.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.7% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 76.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,284 · 202477th percentile
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- 61.6 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th 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 Etowah 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 Etowah County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Etowah County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Etowah County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 35.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Etowah County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 35.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Etowah County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2011 to 14.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Etowah County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.7%
High on the chart: 16.7% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Etowah County, Alabama.
How Etowah County has changed
Etowah County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 104,239 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Etowah County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Etowah County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 35,494 in 2015 to 32,042 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Etowah County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 37,427 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Etowah County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,255 | 2024 $57,284 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Etowah County's history
1985
A tornado in April 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in December 2000 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in November 2001 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 104,430. The 2020 Census counted 103,436, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $9.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Etowah County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Etowah County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Etowah County, one scores higher. Of the group, Etowah County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (35.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, AL | 90 | 18.5% | 32.6% |
| Etowah County, AL | 85 | 17.2% | 35.2% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71 | 21.3% | 30.3% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 66 | 15.4% | 34.3% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| Marshall County, AL | 58 | 15.9% | 26.0% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 48 | 9.7% | 25.8% |
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 Etowah County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Etowah County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 38th 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, Etowah County ranks 29th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Etowah 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 Etowah 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 Etowah County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.