About one in four people in Geneva County, Alabama, has a disability
In Geneva County, 23.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Geneva County's score
In Geneva County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 91.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 511.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 87.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Geneva 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.
Geneva County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.8% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people511.3 · 202598th percentile
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- 87.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.5% · second quarter of 202685th percentile
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- 83.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.5% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,097 · 202482nd percentile
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- 50.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.7% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 46.5 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 rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Geneva 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 Geneva County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Geneva County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Geneva County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Geneva County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Geneva County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.0% in 2009 to 14.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Geneva County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.3%
High on the chart: 18.7% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Geneva County, Alabama.
How Geneva County has changed
Geneva County's population rose by about a third to 27,259, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 22,746. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Geneva County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Geneva County had its largest drop, from 7,018 in 1995 to 5,726 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Geneva County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 7,018 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Geneva County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,515 | 2024 $55,097 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Geneva County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 30,104. The 2020 Census counted 26,659, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
Hurricane Frederic damage declared disaster area. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in September 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in December 2000 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in February 2013 did $2.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
EF2 tornado damage to Geneva. Wikipedia
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Since 1975
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Geneva County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Geneva County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Geneva County, in Alabama and Florida, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Geneva County ranks 4th of the eight; Jackson County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, FL | 88 | 19.4% | 39.2% |
| Geneva County, AL | 86 | 17.1% | 34.7% |
| Holmes County, FL | 83 | 18.7% | 37.7% |
| Covington County, AL | 83 | 18.9% | 36.2% |
| Dale County, AL | 79 | 17.3% | 31.3% |
| Houston County, AL | 77 | 17.0% | 27.5% |
| Coffee County, AL | 55 | 12.9% | 26.5% |
| 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 Geneva County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Geneva County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 39th 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, Geneva County ranks 28th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Geneva 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 Geneva 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 Geneva County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.